Chapter twenty- Stay, Stay, Stay

I'm pretty sure we almost broke up last night,

I threw my phone across the room at you,

I was expecting some dramatic turn away,

But you stayed,

This morning I said we should talk about it,

'Cause I read you should never leave a fight unresolved,

That's when you came in wearing a football helmet,

And said, "Okay, let's talk,"

And I said,

Stay, stay, stay,

I've been loving you for quite some time, time, time,

You think that it's funny when I'm mad, mad, mad,

But I think that it's best if we both stay,

-Taylor Swift

One week later- July 7th

(A/N: Part of this chapter is inspired from the show Offspring as well as Jane the Virgin.)

Jo sits in the lunch room with Steph, looking at her intently, rather then eating the lunch that was in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steph questions curiously, "you keep looking at me and it's starting to scare me."

Jo shakes her head out of the daze, "I'm fine."

"But are you really? Because you were looking at me quite intensely and you and Karev were a little tense this morning. Is everything okay between you both?" Steph questions.

Jo sighs, "we're in the middle of a thing. He disciplined Grace last night and I wasn't okay with it."

Flashback

"Mummy, can I have some yoghurt?" Grace asks as she runs into the kitchen to find Jo stirring a pot of pasta sauce.

Jo glances over at Grace, "No darling, it's nearly dinner time."

Grace rushes off into the living room to find Alex, who was sitting on the couch, "Alex, can I have some yoghurt?"

"Yeah, we can get you some yoghurt," Alex responds with a firm head nod.

"Yay!" Grace says as she jumps up and down.

Alex holds Grace's hand and walks into the kitchen. Alex pulls out a pouch of yoghurt from the fridge, pulls the lid off and hands it to Grace.

Jo turns around, "oh, I just told her no because dinners nearly ready. She will spoil it."

Alex looks up at Jo, "Oh sorry, I didn't know." Alex turns to look at Grace, "Grace, you didn't tell me you asked mummy. I think you better give that back." Alex places his hand out for Grace to pass the yoghurt to him.

"No," Grace says with a smile. She squeezes the pouch of yoghurt, causing it to go all over Alex's face.

Alex picks up Grace and carries her to the living room while Jo follows, "Okay Grace, you need to sit here and think about what you did."

Alex walks out of the living room and into the powder room attached to the hall way. He runs his hands under the tap and washes the yoghurt off his face.

Jo looks at him with a slightly annoyed "What was that?" Jo questions.

"She threw yoghurt at my face," Alex responds.

"So you thought you would discipline her, by what? Putting her in time out?" Jo asks annoyingly.

"Don't be angry at me. Actions have consequences," Alex responds simply.

"Yeah," Jo replies with an angry nod of the head, "and I'm in charge of those consequences. You don't just take it upon yourself to discipline my child."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd mind," Alex responds genuinely.

"No, because you didn't think Alex!" Jo quietly yells.

"It won't happen again," Alex responds slightly annoyed.

"No, no, it won't happen again, because she's not your kid. I'm the parent and I make the decisions, got it?" Jo questions harshly.

Alex nods his head slowly and places his hands into his paint pockets, "Got it."

End flashback

"You got mad at him for putting her in time out?" Steph questions.

"Well, Yeah," Jo states obviously.

Steph looks at Jo slightly confused, "But she did something wrong."

"You don't get it Steph, you're not a parent. How would you feel if some random person put your kid in time out?" Jo queries.

"But Alex isn't a random person Jo, he's your boyfriend," Steph states.

Jo sighs, "But we've only been dating for a few months. It's a bit soon."

"But you need to set a president from day one. Alex can't be the male figure in their lives who doesn't discipline and then when you get married all of a sudden does. That won't work," Steph responds.

"Wow, married! We are not there yet. We are so far away from that that's not even on the globe," Jo responds horrified.

"My point is, I'm not sure it's a simple as you make it out to be. If you got mad at him then they're had to be a reason," Steph responds.

Jo nods her head slowly and intensely begins to think. Could Steph be right? Was it more complicated then it appeared on the surface?

Scene break

Alex was slumped over the nurses station filling out charts when he heard her voice, "Alex?" Jo questions.

"Hey," Alex responds as he quickly glances up from his tablet.

Jo continues to walk over to Alex and stops when she reaches him, "I'm sorry."

Alex places the tablet down and looks at her, "You made it perfectly clear that we need to make decisions together when it comes to everything. Only when It comes to the kids I don't get a say. I get it, I do."

"No, no, thats not what I meant," she sighs.

"Then what is it Jo?" Alex asks.

"You should get to have a say when it comes to the kids. But it's hard, it's been just me for so long, you have to understand that," Jo begins.

"I do understand that Jo," Alex responds.

Jo sighs and continues, "and It's just with Theo, Chris was the one who did most of the disciplining. Time out's were his thing. And I guess when I saw you put Grace into a time out I panicked and freaked because It looked like you were taking his place. So time out's aren't something I use anymore, I tried to in the beginning but it just felt wrong."

Alex sighs, "Oh geez Jo, I'm sorry," Alex admits.

"No, no, you didn't know," Jo responds.

"What do you use then?" Alex asks.

"The reflection space. It's the space in the area of the living room that has a lot of books. They're all books about being kind and making good choices," Jo informs him.

Alex nods his head, "Okay."

Later that night Alex sat on the lounge watching play school with Theo while Jo put Ainsley and Grace to bed. It's was one of Jo's favourite things to do with the kids. She loved watching them have fun in the bath, reading them their favourite books, snuggling up with them in bed and making them feel loved and safe.

Theo looks up at Alex, "Alex?" Theo asks curiously.

"Yeah bud?" Alex responds.

"After Daddy died, mummy cried for a long time. Do you know about my daddy?" Theo asks innocently

Alex sits further upright on the couch and turns to face Theo, "Yeah, I do. I knew him for a little bit too."

"Sometimes she still cries when she misses him. So don't hurt her heart and please don't die, okay?" Theo asks.

"Your mum is a very special lady and I respect her, a lot. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt your mum," Alex responds firmly.