Down Low


"You gotta let me work." AJ shook her head, looking down at her stomach, kneeling down in front of the toilet bowl in one of the hospital's bathrooms, having an extreme bout of morning sickness.

"Mendez!" Shauna walked into the bathroom as AJ lifted her head, "Mendez, if you are unwell you need to go home."

"It'll pass." AJ assured her, "Seriously-"

"You've been like this all week." Shauna said as AJ rolled her eyes in the cubicle.

"I will be fine!" AJ called, "I just need a minute. I need a minute, some water and some… crackers." She nodded as Shauna stood outside the cubicle.

"Alright." Shauna nodded suspiciously, "But if you still feel sick then you leave. I can't have sick taking care of the sick." She made clear, leaving the bathroom as AJ sighed to herself.

"I get it, you're new and you don't know what's going on." AJ spoke to her stomach, "But I got people to treat in here." She shook her head with frustration, leaning her elbows on the toilet seat, putting her hands in her hair.

It had been a gruelling week of morning sickness for her, which she figured was a big welcome to pregnancy. Once the morning passed, she felt like her normal self with lots of energy and a big appetite. But the mornings… she hated the mornings.

She finished up in the bathroom, hoping she was done for the morning, washing her hands and leaving the bathroom where she saw Renee standing waiting over at the nurses station.

"Are you really not gonna tell me?" Renee asked as AJ walked over.

"Tell you what?" AJ said, taking a sip of water, "Who got my crackers out my bag?" She noticed happily.

"Shauna did." Renee raised a brow as AJ looked at her, "You are so pregnant." She shook her head.

"What?" AJ laughed nervously.

"You've been sick every morning this week." Renee said, "You're totally knocked up." She nodded as AJ just shook her head.

"I'm just sick." AJ assured her, opening her packet of crackers up.

"Who's the dad?" Renee teased as AJ looked at her, unimpressed.

"You're ridiculous." AJ shook her head.

"No, you are. Just admit it. I know these things." Renee nodded as AJ looked at her.

"Ok, fine." AJ whispered, "I am… impregnated." She mumbled as Renee smiled.

"Deliberately?" Renee asked.

"You know… I know we're friends but you cross a lot of lines that most people don't cross." AJ nodded as Renee shrugged, "Yes, deliberately."

"Oh, that's sweet." Renee smiled, "You never told me you were trying to get pregnant."

"I didn't get the chance." AJ chuckled, "It happened pretty fast."

"Some people are just extra fertile." Renee waved her hand, "Are you excited? This is exciting. A little baby." She smiled.

"We're excited." AJ nodded, "Also completely terrified for our lives but… excited." AJ smiled.

"Oh, congratulations." Renee smiled, giving her a big hug as AJ hugged back.

"We weren't gonna tell anyone, just for the first few weeks to make sure everything is going ok." AJ made clear as Renee nodded.

"I won't say a thing." Renee said, "I just kinda suspected with all the morning bathroom breaks you were taking." She nodded.

"It's the first thing I do every morning. I wake up and I'm just sick." AJ shook her head, "I really need it to pass or else Shauna is gonna beat my ass."

"I think she kinda knows too." Renee said.

"How?" AJ shook her head.

"Well… she's got three kids, she's been kinda nice to you this week which doesn't normally happen." Renee said, "She's probably figured it out."

"Am I being that obvious?" AJ rolled her eyes.

"No, we're just all doctors." Renee laughed a little as AJ smiled, "Is Phil excited?"

"He is, yeah." AJ smiled, "He's worried about me being sick all the time but it's like the most normal pregnant symptom ever." She laughed a little.

"You guys are gonna have the sweetest baby." Renee smiled, "Oh, what do you think it'll be? A boy or a girl?"

"I really don't know. I've not got any feelings yet. It's still so early." AJ laughed a little as Renee looked at her, unconvinced, "Ok, I think it's a boy." She nodded as Renee smiled.

"I have to throw you a shower." Renee smiled, "And I'll bake."

"I think to have a shower you actually have to have friends and family." AJ nodded, "Which I don't."

"So I'll bake a cake just for us two." Renee shrugged as AJ smiled.

"Sounds good." AJ nodded.


"Oh, what a day." AJ sighed tiredly, walking into the living room later that night where she saw her husband laid up on the couch, "I got picked up and dropped into the ER all afternoon." She said.

"Why? Isn't that wrong to put you in a different department when you're studying something else?" Punk shook his head.

"Not if they need doctors." AJ shook her head, "There was a super bad car accident, and it was like a domino effect. Lots of injured people." She nodded, "Your day didn't look as stressful as mine." She looked over at him as he chuckled.

"I've not moved from this position all day." He confirmed as she smiled.

"It's weird how that actually makes me happy." AJ nodded as he smiled, watching her walk over to him, laying down on top of him as he placed his arm around her, "Did you really not move from this position all day?"

"Well… only to go to the bathroom." Punk said as she smiled.

"Speaking of bathroom." She groaned, resting her cheek on his chest, "This kid wants me to get in trouble at work."

"Sick again this morning?" Punk asked, playing with her hair.

"Yeah and Renee guessed I was pregnant so I had to… confirm." AJ shook her head.

"I thought we weren't telling people?" Punk asked.

"We're not but she was adamant she knew I was pregnant." AJ said, "So I had to tell her. She was happy about it, it was actually pretty good to tell her." She admitted with a smile.

"Let me guess… she's already planning to bake a cake?" Punk asked.

"She's planning my shower which has a guest list of an overcrowded two people." She nodded, "Me and her."

"Well that's kinda sad." Punk laughed a little.

"It's not really." AJ shrugged, "It's all this baby is gonna know so… why pretend anything different?"

"So you're not gonna tell your mom?" He asked.

"Why would I? I haven't spoken to her in over a year. Almost two. She doesn't care." AJ shrugged, "And I don't either. She doesn't get to know my baby." She said protectively as Punk nodded, kissing her head.

"I ordered in breakfast and lunch today." He told her as AJ scoffed.

"You're the worst person at having days off." She laughed a little, "You just sit on the couch and eat." She said.

"I'm resting my mind." Punk nodded, "And we're eating for two now, right?" He said as she lifted her head and looked at him.

"I am eating for two. You don't get to take that away from me." She warned as he smiled.

"Well I'm a supporter of it." He nodded as she shook her head, resting it back on his chest.

"You know what I thought about today?" She asked him, "How difficult it's gonna be doing my job with a bowling ball attached to me." She nodded, "But I'm gonna do it." She nodded with determination, "This baby is just gonna have to save lives with me." She shook her head as Punk smiled.

"My mom would have been such a good grandmother." Punk shook his head. There was a lot going through his head after finding out their news. One was that it wasn't going to be an announcement he could make to his mother the way he wished he could have.

"The good thing is that she might get to meet the baby, she's still physically healthy." AJ nodded.

"Yeah and mentally?" Punk asked.

"I know." AJ said, "But if you can take anything away from it, you might still be able to see her hold him or her." She nodded, "And that will be a good thing to see." She assured him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"Isn't it cool how you're gonna raise your kid in the house you were raised in?" She smiled, "Does that feel weird?"

"No, it doesn't actually." He shook his head, "I don't know how to explain it but this place still feels new to me, even though I lived here." He said, "Like when we moved in, it just felt different and new."

"Maybe cause it's a different part of your life. Things will feel different around you. You were a little boy here and now you're all grown up. Of course it'll feel different." AJ nodded.

"It does. It doesn't feel like we're living in my parents' house… it just… it feels like ours. And there's good memories here but I know we're gonna have our own, with our own family." He nodded as AJ smiled.

"I can't wait." AJ smiled, "Well… I can, actually cause I need to get prepared but… I can't wait to meet whoever this little bean is."

"I think it's a girl." He nodded, "Only a girl would give you this much trouble this quick. What with all the sickness." He said as AJ chuckled.

"Maybe." AJ said, "I don't know, I think it's a boy. I have a feeling. I think I have one of those mom feelings." She figured.

"Whoever it is, we're gonna be lucky." He nodded as she smiled.

She was exhausted but she was happy. So happy. The thought of bringing home their baby, watching him or her grow, creating memories in this house as they raised them, it just warmed her soul. It was everything she had wanted with him since the fell in love with him. It was these things she wanted with him that she realised she never wanted with Jason. These kind of memories and moments were only going to be made with him, and she'd have it no other way.