Mom


"You good?" Punk asked, helping AJ in the door as they got home later that night after what could only be described as the craziest day, for both of them.

"It's ok, I can walk." AJ smiled sweetly. She was sure if she asked him to carry her he would do it.

"How is your head?" Punk asked, closing the door over behind them.

"It's feeling better." AJ nodded. She knew with a concussion she would slowly start to feel better as the time went by, and the brain fog would surely lift. She was grateful to be allowed some days off from the hospital, although her work brain made her feel guilty about it. But that was just who she was.

"You think the swelling has gone down?" He asked.

"Yeah, for sure." AJ nodded, "I feel lucky that it was just a concussion."

"You were really knocked out. I… I thought I couldn't find a pulse." He admitted truthfully.

"Yeah I can never feel my pulse." AJ nodded, placing two fingers on her neck, "I'm just tired now I think." She admitted.

"I'm gonna get out of my uniform I think." He said as she nodded.

"Yeah, me too." AJ agreed, heading upstairs with him. He was extremely quiet. She knew he'd had a stressful day too, but she wasn't used to seeing him so quiet and shut down. It was like he was still afraid she was in some sort of danger.

"The nursery." Punk remembered as he reached upstairs.

"Oh, yeah. You need to show me." AJ smiled.

"You up to seeing it?" He asked her.

"Of course I am." She hugged into his arm and kissed it, "Go on, show me." She smiled as he nodded.

"Alright." He said, opening up the door to the nursery and walking in as AJ followed, raising her eyes with amazement as she got eyes on their baby boy or girls room. She'd seen it in stages, but she hadn't seen it finished with everything inside it in place, and it took her breath away.

"Oh, you got the drapes." AJ noticed, walking over to the window, running her hand down the drapes which had moons with faces on them. She gave him all of the credit, because he had got everything ordered, built and painted, and it just looked incredible.

"And watch this." He said eagerly, turning the light switch off, walking over to the side table beside the rocking chair in the corner, switching on a night light which projected stars and moons onto the sky, "I figured they might like that."

"They might like it or you like it?" AJ smiled over to him as he shrugged modestly, "It's beautiful." She shook her head in awe. She wanted it to feel perfect for her baby, and that's exactly what it felt like looking at it.

"Yeah this is a nice thing to see after today." Punk nodded to himself as she looked over at him.

"Hey, I'm ok." AJ nodded, walking over and wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'm gonna be fine. And so is the baby." She assured him.

"I know but for a moment I really thought you weren't gonna be ok." He admitted. It was the scariest moment of his entire life, because his world lay in front of him and he thought he was losing it.

"I know but I am." She assured him, "I'm gonna be just fine." She nodded, cupping his cheeks and looking in his eyes, "So is our baby."

"Yeah, I just… I'm kinda freaked out." He nodded.

"I know." She said. She figured that was why he'd gone so quiet. Why he looked like he was spending way more time in his own head than he usually did. He was just frightened and she felt it was her place to reassure him she'd be ok.

"Do you really like it?" He asked her, looking around the nursery.

"Phil, I love it." AJ sighed dreamily, walking over to the rocking chair and sitting down on it, "Gosh, sometimes I'm so terrified of what it's gonna be like with the baby here, but sometimes I'm just desperate for it to happen already." She nodded.

"Yeah, feels like it's the only thing that's missing now." Punk said as she nodded, "And I thought we could hang this on the door. I got one for both." He showed her two initials of the names they'd chosen for the baby for a boy or a girl.

"Oh, how sweet." AJ smiled, "I think you've outdid yourself." She nodded to him.

"Yeah?" He asked as she nodded.

"It's beautiful." She nodded seriously as he smiled.

"You look comfy." He chuckled, watching her swaying back and forth on the rocking chair.

"I am." AJ nodded, "I can't wait to hold him… or her." She quickly added as he chuckled.

"You're really getting your hopes up for a boy, huh?" He said.

"I'm not getting my hopes up. I just want a healthy baby. I just… I think it might be a boy." She nodded. She just felt like it was a boy she was having. She knew she couldn't be sure just by her senses, but they had to mean something.

"Do you want me to run you a bath?" He asked her.

"Will you get in it with me?" She smiled as he laughed a little.

"If you insist." He said as she smiled.


"This is nice." AJ relaxed her head back against Punk's chest, lying in between his legs in the hot bubble bath. It was exactly what she needed after the day she'd had, and although she knew he wouldn't admit it, it was exactly what he needed too.

"It is." Punk nodded, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek.

"Did you go back? Once you got me out of there did you go back to the fire?" She asked him.

"No." Punk shook his head, "No, I couldn't. I just waited on you coming back from the scan. The doctors worked really fast with you. Especially the guy, he seemed really worried."

"I work under him. He's the head of neuro." AJ nodded.

"Well they all care a lot about you. Even Shauna." Punk nodded.

"And here I was thinking sometimes I'm just there to be babysat by them. That's how it feels sometimes on residency. Like you're just getting in the way." AJ shrugged.

"You gotta give yourself more credit. It really won't be long until you're fully qualified in neuro. Do you have any idea how big a deal that is?" He asked her as she nodded to herself.

"I don't know, I think growing up with my mom always in my ear, I don't really give myself praise. I just do what I gotta do." AJ nodded.

"Cause your mom never praised you?" He figured as she nodded.

"The only time she ever said she was proud of me was when I was getting ready to marry Jason." AJ nodded, "That says it all." She nodded, playing with his hands under the water, lacing her fingers through his.

"You think it comes from jealousy?" Punk asked her, "Do you think she's jealous of you that you became your own person and she was left in an unhappy life with a man she clearly didn't love?"

"Maybe." AJ nodded, "But I'm her daughter. I shouldn't have come in between that. If you and I ever had disagreements I would never bring our child into it. Never." She shook her head as he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that's the difference." Punk nodded.

"I uh… I've never told anyone this before." She admitted, "I guess I do my best to pretend it's in a past life, but it's not, it happened and it got to a point where keeping it to myself became easier."

"What?" He asked her, "What are you talking about?"

"I was… sexually assaulted in high school." She nodded, "He was my first boyfriend and I was the quiet girl that didn't have much friends." She said as he stayed quiet, "He made me do things I didn't want to do and… vice versa." She said, "You get the idea." She nodded quietly.

"I'm sorry." He sighed.

"Then he broke up with me." She nodded, "It was in the bathroom at high school. I convinced myself for the longest time that it was fine and that I… I was into it." She rolled her eyes, "But I wasn't, and I know I asked him to stop multiple times, and I know if I saw a chance to run I would have." She said.

"Couldn't you talk to someone?" He asked her.

"I did." She nodded, "I told my mom." She said as he listened, "And she told me I shouldn't tell anyone. And to keep it to myself." She nodded, "And that's what I did." She whispered.

"She told you not to tell anyone?" Punk asked angrily.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I really had to work up the courage to tell her, and when I did it was like it was nothing. And I believed her. I carried on with my life and told myself it was just dumb high school stuff." She said, "And she made me think that. My own mom." She shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He asked her.

"Cause I still think in my head that people will react the way my mom reacted." AJ said, "I guess I've been thinking about it a lot more since I got pregnant. My mom may not have taught me how to be a mom but she definitely taught me how not to be a mom." She nodded.

"I'm so sorry." He sighed, kissing her shoulder, "You're gonna be the best mom. The best mom who… gives the best hugs and makes the best cookies."

"Oh, yeah. I wanna be the best cookie making mom." AJ nodded as he chuckled.

"I love you." He whispered, "And I'm sorry you've lived a life where people have hurt you." He said as she nodded.

"It's ok. It all worked out for me." She assured him, tilting her head round to look at him from behind as he leaned down and kissing her softly.

"How's that head doing?" He asked her, pulling back.

"It's doing ok. I can't believe Shauna has actually gave me five days off. Maybe we could get that babymoon after all." She thought to herself.

"Maybe I could talk to the chief." Punk nodded, "See if he can give me a couple days."

"That'd be nice." She nodded, lifting her head when she heard a knock at their door downstairs.

"Who the hell is that?" Punk groaned.

"Just ignore it." AJ waved her hand, leaning her head against his chest again as there was another loud knock.

"Maybe it's Dean." Punk thought, "He did say he might stop by to see how you're doing."

"Well what I'm doing is relaxing in the bath naked with my husband." AJ scoffed.

"I should answer it." Punk said as she nodded, leaning forward to let him out as she sank back down against the end of the bath, "I'll be quick." He assured her, drying himself quickly and shoving on some shorts and a t-shirt.

He left their bathroom, walking out of their room and downstairs to answer the door, opening it up and pausing as he looked on at a face he didn't want to see, certainly not right now.

"Hello." Jeanette nodded to him, looking him up and down as Punk ran his hand through his wet hair. He was already filled with rage.