#dad joe

the apartment had settled into that soft, easy rhythm that only came after the last of the wedding chaos had finally faded.

for a few weeks now, everything had felt a little brighter around the edges, like the world itself had decided to be gentler with you both. joe had booked time off before tour, and for once there was no frantic calls between interviews, no half-finished dinners left cooling on the stove because one of you had somewhere to be. it was just the two of you, learning how to be married.

joe was still joe.

still left his coffee mugs everywhere, still sang random songs while brushing his teeth and still wrapped himself around you every night like you were responsible for keeping him alive.

but there was something different now, something that made your chest feel warm whenever you looked at him.

husband.

your husband.

even months later it didn't feel real.

before the wedding people had always joked that nothing changed after getting married. they were liars.

because somehow everything felt brighter.

-

then joe had started going back to meetings.

nothing alarming, just the slow return of work and the fact he was going on tour soon inching its way back into your lives.

some mornings he left early with coffee in one hand and his keys in the other, hair still a little messy, kissing you goodbye with a promise to be back before dinner. some days it was later, meetings stretching on while you stayed home and tried to be productive in the apartment that suddenly felt a little too quiet without him in it.

you told yourself the quiet was fine. normal, even. a natural part of the season you were in.

you were both busy, both trying to prepare for what was ahead.

the tour, the travel, the long stretches apart that would come with it. you'd known from the start that marriage wouldn’t stop life from happening around you, wouldn’t freeze everything in perfect place just because the vows had been said and the rings had been slipped on.

still, on one particular morning, you woke up feeling wrong.

not dramatically wrong, not enough to panic immediately, just enough to notice.

your stomach turned when you sat up, a strange sickly wave rolling through you that made you freeze for a second with your hand braced against the mattress.

you swallowed hard and sat there, eyes half-closed, waiting for it to pass. and it did, eventually. enough that you got through the rest of the morning pretending it hadn’t happened.

it didn't concern you as much as it probably should've. you brushed your teeth, made yourself a little tea and told yourself it was probably something you ate, or maybe just exhaustion.

there was no reason to worry joe about it. he already had enough on his plate, between meetings and rehearsals and tour prep and everything else trying to pull him in a dozen directions at once.

he kissed you on the cheek before leaving that morning with an absentminded “call me if you need anything, okay?” and you smiled and told him you would.

by afternoon, you felt perfectly fine.

which, somehow, made the whole thing easier to dismiss. a fluke. a weird little moment. nothing to spiral over.

except then the next day came.

and the one after that.

and suddenly the “weird little moment” had become a pattern that your body seemed determined to keep repeating.

more nausea.

another morning where you barely made it to the bathroom in time.

a stubborn heaviness in your chest every time you tried to ignore the possibility forming in the back of your mind.

then the period that didn't come, even after you stared at the calendar like maybe it would feel guilty and appear if you looked hard enough.

and that was when the spiral started.

at first you fought it, you really did.

you tried to convince yourself it was stress, or hormones, or your body being dramatic for no reason. but the longer the days stretched on, the more every little sign seemed to align into the same terrifying shape.

the nausea. the missed period. the constant low hum of suspicion that you couldn't shake no matter how hard you tried to distract yourself with work or editing or scrolling mindlessly until your eyes hurt.

pregnancy.

the word sat in your mind like a live wire.

it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. that was the part that made it so confusing, so impossible to untangle.

you were married to the love of your life. you both had stable jobs, a home you loved, a life that wasn't perfect but was solid and real and full of room for something bigger.

you had talked before, in soft private moments, about a future family. someday. one day. after the next thing, after the next phase, after the next stretch of work had settled.

in future.

not now.

not when joe was about to go on tour. not when your lives were already shifting into motion again. not when you were supposed to be joining him for a big chunk of it, packing your bags and following him on the road like you always tried to do when you could. not when everything was already in flux and the timing made your head spin just trying to think about it.

and yet if it was true, it would still be yours. yours and joe’s. a tiny, impossible thing growing in the middle of all this love.

-

you lasted longer than you thought you would before finally ordering a pregnancy test.

you made sure joe would be out all day before the package arrived, which was ridiculous because he was not suspicious by nature and never would've asked why you were suddenly hovering around the front door with too much energy and a too-bright smile, but it still felt important to keep this moment yours for a little longer.

something about it had made you strangely private, almost protective, as if saying it aloud too soon might break it.

when the apartment was finally yours alone, you carried the test into the bathroom with hands that felt colder than they should've.

the small, ordinary packaging looked offensively normal for something so capable of changing your life. you set it down on the counter and stood staring at it for a long moment before reaching for your camera.

you didn't know why you did that first, maybe because vlogging had become as natural to you as breathing and because, right then, having the camera there made you feel like you weren't completely alone.

like you could speak out loud into the little lens and keep yourself anchored to something outside the panic beginning to bloom in your chest.

you set it up on the bathroom floor first, as if you were just starting a normal vlog, and with a shaky laugh you talked to it like this was any other day.

you rambled, a little aimlessly, about how nice life had been lately.

how after the wedding and the honeymoon and all the little “officially married” things settling into place, everything somehow felt even softer.

you said how weird it was that you and joe had somehow managed to make this whole grown-up married life thing look easy. you joked weakly about how domestic you both had become, how much time you'd spent together in the kitchen lately.

and while you talked, the tears kept threatening.

you blinked them away and looked over at the test on the counter, trying not to think too hard about what you were doing. trying not to think about the possibility that this one tiny object could confirm everything you had been circling for days.

then the timer went off.

the sound made you flinch.

for one horrible second you just stood there, the bathroom suddenly too small and too bright. then you picked the camera back up from the floor and set it on the counter with hands that had started to tremble.

you stared at your own reflection in the mirror for a beat, like maybe the person looking back at you would have better answers than you did. then you turned the test over.

positive.

the world went strangely quiet.

you stared.

you blinked.

you looked again as if the lines might rearrange themselves if you gave them enough time.

your hand flew to your mouth without you even realising it, your knees almost gave out under you and you had to grab the edge of the sink to steady yourself.

for a few seconds, all you could do was breathe.

"oh my god"

the words came out of you in a cracked whisper, barely audible.

you had no idea how long you stood there like that, frozen in place, camera still recording while your entire life shifted underneath your feet.

maybe five minutes, maybe less.

it felt endless either way.

the tears finally broke free, and you laughed a little through them because what else were you supposed to do?

you covered your mouth again and made a helpless, breathless sound as your eyes kept darting between the test and your reflection and the camera, as if one of them might somehow tell you how to handle this.

what the hell were you going to do?

more importantly, how on earth were you going to tell joe?

that question alone was enough to send another rush of panic through you.

because you knew him, you knew him too well.

he could read you like an open book on your best day, and right now you were a mess of nerves and hormones and disbelief, which meant he would know something was wrong the second he saw your face.

you couldn't keep a secret from him if your life depended on it, you never had been able to.

especially not one this big.

but you also knew you couldn't just blurt it out over takeout containers and dish towels like it was a casual update.

this was too huge for that.

was it too little to just tell him, “i’m pregnant”?

did that sound wrong somehow, too blunt for a moment this important?

should there be a dramatic reveal or some kind of heartfelt speech?

you had no idea.

all you knew was that your heart was hammering hard enough to make your ears ring and your thoughts were spilling over each other so fast you could barely catch one before another took its place.

so you took another test.

just to be sure. just to have the proof sitting there in black and white, as if one positive result somehow wasn’t enough to convince your own brain. you sat on the bathroom floor with the second one in your hand and tried to breathe through the whole thing while your camera quietly recorded every nervous second. then you checked it too, and when it came back positive, your laugh broke into a sob.

you were really pregnant.

somewhere between the shock and the tears, your mind started racing ahead to everything at once.

the future, the baby, joe, tour, your work, the vlogs, the apartment, the nursery you'd not even thought about yet, the tiny life you'd somehow made with the man you loved more than anything.

and in the middle of all that fear, there was also something else. something softer, something almost bright.

you and joe had made a family.

the thought scared you and warmed you in equal measure.

-

by the time afternoon blurred into evening, you cleaned yourself up enough to look almost normal, though your eyes were a little puffy and your hands still shook whenever you held them still for too long.

you spent the rest of the day moving through the apartment in a daze, editing a few clips you probably wouldn't post, rambling softly to the camera whenever the silence got too loud, letting the lens become a kind of lifeline.

every so often, your gaze drifted to the clock.

when joe texted that he was on his way home, your stomach flipped so hard you had to put the phone down for a second and hold onto the counter.

now it was real in a different way, because he was actually coming back, and in a little while you would have to look at him and say the words out loud.

no more rehearsing in your head. no more waiting. no more pretending that tomorrow might somehow feel easier.

-

you finished dinner just in time, plating everything carefully despite your trembling hands.

the recipe was one the two of you had learned together recently, and for some ridiculous reason that made the whole thing feel even more emotional.

the apartment smelled warm and comforting, the kind of smell that usually made joe grin the moment he walked through the door, and when he finally did, it was exactly like that.

his shoes came off by the entryway, his shoulders loosened the second he saw you, and then that smile appeared. the one that always made your heart do something soft and helpless in your chest.

“baby” he said, voice already full of affection, and crossed the room to kiss you.

you melted into it for a second, clinging to him just enough to remind yourself he was really there.

he kissed your forehead, then your cheek, then your lips again, easy and familiar. he looked tired, but in a good way, like the day had actually gone well.

“i made dinner” you said, trying to sound normal and probably failing.

his eyes lit up immediately. “you did?”

you nodded, and he glanced at the table with a grin that made him look almost boyish. “smells amazing.”

“you had a good day?” you asked, because you needed to hear him say something ordinary, needed one more normal thing to hold onto before everything changed.

“actually, yeah,” he said, settling a hand at your waist while he spoke.

“really good day, productive one too. meetings went fine, got a bunch done. no disasters, no weird stress stuff. just.. good.”

that should have made it easier. it should have made it feel like the perfect moment to tell him.

instead, it made the panic bloom harder.

you must have gone quiet, because his expression shifted almost immediately. joe always noticed even the tiniest change in your face.

his brows drew together just slightly and his thumb brushed a slow line against your hip.

“hey,” he said gently. “you okay?”

you took a breath and let it out too slowly. no point pretending now. not with him looking at you like that. not when the words were already pressing at the back of your throat.

“can you sit down?” you asked softly.

the concern on his face sharpened. “that sounds scary.”

you gave him a tiny, shaky smile. “i know. i’m sorry.”

“baby,” he said, suddenly more alert, but he did what you asked. he moved to the chair near the table and sat down, though he kept one hand in yours the whole time, his fingers lacing through yours like he was grounding you both. his eyes stayed on your face, carefully searching. “you’re freaking me out.”

you almost laughed at that, which only made him look more worried, so you squeezed his hand and breathed in through your nose.

“wait here,” you said. “and close your eyes.”

his eyebrows shot up. “absolutely not. that is not helping.”

“joe.”

“you are scaring me, baby.”

you smiled despite yourself, because he always sounded so offended and so fond at the same time, but he obeyed after a second. slowly, warily, he shut his eyes. his free hand flexed once against the table like he was bracing himself.

you hurried back to the bathroom, your heart in your throat, and came back holding the pregnancy test like it was made of glass.

your eyes were already burning again by the time you reached him.

he still had his eyes closed.

“okay,” you whispered, stopping in front of him. “open your hand.”

he did, palm up and uncertain.

you placed the test in it, your fingers brushing his for a second longer than necessary.

“open your eyes.”

joe did.

for a second, he just looked at the test.

then up at you.

then back down.

silence stretched between you so completely that it seemed to fill the whole room. not tense silence, not exactly, just stunned silence.

his mouth parted slightly. his eyes widened. he looked like he was trying to process something impossible.

his gaze flicked to the lines on the test and then back to your face.

then his eyes filled with tears.

“are you serious?” he asked, voice breaking on the words.

you nodded before you could stop yourself. “yes.”

he stared at you for another beat, as if the answer had to be said twice to become real. “you’re serious?”

your own tears spilled over then, and you nodded again, smiling so hard it hurt. “yes, joe.”

his face changed all at once.

he stood up so fast the chair scraped lightly against the floor, and then he had you in his arms, pulling you against him with such force that the breath rushed right out of your body.

you clutched at him immediately, laughing and crying at the same time, his arms wrapped so tightly around you it almost felt like he was trying to hold the moment still by sheer force alone.

“oh my god,” he breathed into your hair, and you felt it as much as heard it. “oh my god.”

he laughed a little through the tears, low and disbelieving, and then he pulled back just enough to look at you. both of his hands came up to cup your face, his thumbs brushing over the tears on your cheeks with the most careful tenderness in the world.

“i’m gonna be a dad?” he whispered.

you let out a shaky laugh and nodded. “yeah, baby. you’re gonna be a dad.”

his eyes squeezed shut for a second, and then he laughed again, helpless and full of disbelief. “we’re-” he stopped, shook his head, looked back at you like he was still trying to understand the shape of it.

“we’re together. like.. together together. like parents together. like family.”

that set you off all over again. more tears. more laughing. you reached up and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing it hard.

“yes,” you whispered. “yes, exactly that.”

his forehead dropped against yours, and for one long moment the two of you just stood there breathing each other in, crying and smiling and trying to make sense of how everything had changed in a matter of minutes.

joe’s hand slid down from your face to your stomach, resting there with so much awe it almost made you cry harder. like he was afraid to move, afraid to disturb the delicate miracle of it.

you watched his throat bob as he swallowed.

“i can’t believe this” he whispered, and there was such wonder in it that your heart nearly split open.

“me neither” you admitted.

he looked up at you then, and there was a brightness in his eyes that made your chest ache. “we’ll figure it out” he said immediately, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “everything. we’ll figure it all out together, okay? every part of it. all of it.”

the certainty in his voice did something to you. soothed something jagged inside you that had been spiraling all day.

you nodded, because there was no other answer.

“okay.”

he smiled at that, soft and shaking, then leaned in to kiss you.

it was the kind of kiss that felt like a promise. the kind that said he was here, and he was staying, and whatever came next would not happen to you alone.

when he pulled back, he kept one hand against your cheek and the other still on your stomach, as if he couldn’t quite bear to let go of either place.

then, because he was joe and because he apparently could never stay in one emotional state for too long, his face shifted into something halfway between disbelief and giddy realisation. he started pacing a little in the small space by the table, one hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

you could see the smile beneath his fingers, the tears still wet on his cheeks, the way he looked like he might burst right out of his skin from the size of the feeling in him.

“you’re pacing” you said, smiling through your own tears.

“i know,” he said, not stopping. “i know, i just- baby, i’m sorry, i don’t know what to do with myself right now.”

“i think that’s fair.”

he laughed, then turned back to you and came right up again, like he couldn’t stand being away from you for even a second. both of his hands came back to your face, thumbs gentle at your jaw.

“we’re really doing this,” he said, quieter now. “we’re really having a baby.”

you nodded, and your smile trembled at the edges. “yeah.”

he stared at you for a second longer, then leaned in and kissed your forehead, your cheek, your nose, all over your face in a soft, overwhelmed sort of way.

you laughed wetly and tried to shove him lightly away, but he only smiled harder and pulled you close again.

then his hand found your stomach once more, resting there with almost reverent care, and more tears slipped down his face.

“hey,” he said suddenly, his voice turning lighter in a way that only made you suspect trouble, “i have always said i wanted to be inside you forever.”

you let out a shocked laugh that was half gasp, half groan, and immediately smacked his arm. “joe.”

he burst into laughter at your expression, full and bright and completely ridiculous, and you couldn’t help but laugh too, tears still streaking your cheeks.

“what?” he said, grinning wildly now. “i’m just saying, i guess i kind of will be for nine months.”

you stared at him for a second before laughing harder, which only encouraged him.

the two of you were a mess now, crying and laughing at once, and the apartment felt somehow too small for all the love and disbelief and joy packed into the room.

he looked so happy it almost hurt to look at him. so stunned, so undone, so completely and obviously in love with the life the two of you had made.

“you are impossible” you told him, still laughing.

“and you love me.”

“unfortunately, yes.”

“good” he said, and pulled you in for another kiss before you could even finish rolling your eyes.

this one was softer, warm with tears and laughter and the kind of joy that makes the world tilt. he kissed you like he was trying to memorize the moment, like he knew things were changing and he wanted to hold on to this exact second for as long as he could.

when he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours again, and both of you were breathing hard in the quiet that followed.

then his gaze dropped.

“wait” he said suddenly, pointing toward the camera you had hidden nearby.

your stomach dropped for half a second before you remembered. right. the vlog.

the proof of the whole surreal, emotional, life-altering day.

you let out a breathless laugh. “i was filming”

joe immediately groaned, though he was still smiling.

“of course you were.”

“i didn’t know if i’d post it,” you admitted, wiping at your face. “i just… needed something.”

he nodded, all the teasing gone from his expression again, replaced by that same soft understanding he always gave you when words got too tangled.

“i’m glad you did” he said.

you looked at him, still a little dazed. “really?”

“yeah,” he said simply. then his smile returned, smaller this time but no less bright.

“i’ll probably want to watch this later and cry all over again.”

that made you laugh, because of course he would. of course he would want to remember every second of this strange, fragile, beautiful beginning.

you reached for his hand again and he took it instantly, intertwining your fingers like he always did when he wanted to make sure you knew he was there.

then, as if the thought had only just hit him properly, he looked down at your stomach one more time and smiled in a way that was so full of love it made your chest ache.

“hi,” he said softly to it, like he was speaking to the tiniest person in the room. “it’s me. your dad. i guess i should probably get used to saying that.”

your heart melted right there on the spot.

you leaned into him and rested your head against his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around you immediately, holding you close while the two of you stood in the kitchen with dinner cooling on the table and the camera still somewhere nearby and your whole life unfolding in front of you all at once.

it was still scary. that part didn't disappear.

the tour, the timing, the future, the suddenness of it all, the way your mind already tried to leap ahead to everything you didn't yet know.

but in that moment, with joe’s hand on your back and his heartbeat steady under your cheek and his tears drying slowly on his face, the fear didn't feel bigger than the love.

maybe that was what being married was really for.

not avoiding the hard things. not making life neat and easy and perfectly timed. just having someone standing beside you when the hard things arrived, and knowing, with complete certainty, that you would face them together.

joe pressed a kiss to the top of your head and sighed, soft and happy and still a little stunned.

“we’re gonna figure it out” he murmured again.

you smiled into his shirt, tears still hot on your cheeks, and squeezed his hand against your stomach.

“yeah,” you whispered. “together.”

and when he kissed you again, it felt like the beginning of everything.

-

a few weeks later, after countless conversations, a lot of excitement, and joe randomly tearing up at least three times a day whenever he remembered he was going to be a dad, the two of you finally decided to tell everyone.

well.

sort of.

because after watching back the footage from that day, the one where you had found out and then told joe, neither of you could bring yourselves to share it.

it wasn't because you weren't happy. it was the opposite, actually.

it was too special, too raw.

that moment belonged to the two of you.

every shaky breath, every tear, every stunned laugh, every second of joe standing there holding that pregnancy test like it might disappear if he blinked.

that was yours.

and somehow, sharing it with millions of strangers felt wrong.

so instead, you posted a simple announcement.

just a handful of photos. one of you and joe standing outside in golden evening light. another of joe kneeling dramatically beside you with his hand on your stomach despite there being absolutely no bump yet. one of tiny baby shoes resting between your intertwined hands.

and the final photo was your favorite.

joe kissing your cheek while you laughed at something he'd said.

the internet absolutely lost its mind.

your phone practically exploded.

you and joe spent the entire evening curled up together on the couch reading comments.

every few minutes joe would just randomly smile at his phone.

"what?" you asked eventually.

he looked up.

eyes suspiciously shiny.

"people keep calling me a dad."

you immediately burst out laughing.

"joe."

"i'm serious."

he shoved his phone toward you.

sure enough, thousands of comments.

dad keery era.

djo - dad

you looked back at him, he looked genuinely emotional.

"you're crying."

"i'm not."

"you literally are."

he wiped under his eye.

"okay maybe a little."

"oh my god."

"leave me alone."

tour came quicker than either of you wanted.

but thankfully, because you were still early enough in your pregnancy, you were able to travel with him for a big chunk of it.

and honestly?

it became one of your favorite periods of your marriage because it felt like this little bubble. just you. joe. and the tiny thing growing between you.

you got to see cities together, eat food from places you'd never been, wander around unfamiliar streets hand in hand, take photos, film vlogs, make memories before life got a whole lot crazier.

if there was one thing that did change dramatically though, it was joe.

or more specifically how protective he became.

it was ridiculous. genuinely ridiculous. the second he found out you were pregnant it was like some switch flipped inside him.

suddenly you couldn't do anything. absolutely anything.

one morning you reached for a grocery bag.

joe appeared out of nowhere.

"baby."

you blinked.

"what?"

"put that down."

"...it's apples."

"still."

"joe."

he took it from you anyway.

another time you stood on your tiptoes trying to grab a mug from a shelf. a shelf, not a mountain. not a dangerous cliff edge. a shelf.

before your fingers even touched it, joe's voice came from behind you.

"what are you doing?"

you looked over your shoulder.

"getting a mug."

"why?"

"...because i want tea?"

he was already reaching past you.

"i'll get it."

"i can reach it."

"you don't need to."

"i literally do."

"nope."

and then there was the infamous airport incident.

you had picked up your suitcase. your own suitcase. the one you'd been carrying perfectly fine for years.

and joe had gasped, actually gasped, like you'd just attempted to bench press a car.

you stared at him.

he stared at the suitcase.

"put it down."

"joe."

"you're growing a human."

you laughed.

"the human is the size of a grape."

"still."

"you're insane."

"thank you."

and somehow he sounded proud.

later in the tour there was a short break where you both got to spend a couple weeks back home.

it was glorious.

no hotels, no airports, just home.

which was how you ended up sitting on the living room floor one afternoon surrounded by pr packages.

you had decided to vlog opening them because honestly there were so many.

the camera sat on its tripod.

joe lounged beside you on the rug, one arm draped lazily around your shoulders.

"hey," you said.

"today we're opening all the pr that's been piling up while we've been away."

joe nodded.

the first box opened easily.

you pulled out tiny baby clothes.

immediately both of you froze.

because they were tiny. absurdly tiny. joe picked up a little onesie, held it up, stared, stared some more, then looked at you.

"our child is gonna fit in this?"

you nodded.

he looked horrified.

"that's way too small."

you laughed.

"babies are small."

"that's not a baby."

he held it between two fingers.

"that's a hamster."

the next package was bottles, those you both recognised which immediately felt like a win.

"we know these."

"yes!"

you high-fived.

"look at us."

"we're basically parents already."

you both nodded seriously then burst out laughing. the confidence didn't last because the next package contained some bizarre baby contraption.

you pulled it out slowly, turned it around, looked at the instructions, looked back at joe. he looked equally confused.

"what is that?"

"i don't know."

"turn it over."

you did, it didn't help.

"still don't know."

"maybe it's a hat."

"definitely not a hat."

by the middle of the vlog the floor was completely covered.

baby blankets. tiny socks. toys. books. feeding supplies. carriers. little matching outfits. you kept stopping to hold things up and stare at them.

because every now and then it would hit you all over again.

this wasn't hypothetical anymore, these things were for your baby. your actual baby.

and every single realisation felt just as surreal as the first.

at one point you picked up an impossibly tiny pair of shoes.

the room went quiet.

joe immediately reached for them, holding them carefully in his palms. they looked impossibly small there.

you watched his expression soften and instantly knew he was having feelings. again.

"joe."

he sniffed.

"don't."

"are you crying over shoes?"

"maybe."

you laughed.

"they're tiny."

"i know."

"you are unbelievable."

he looked at the camera.

"i'm having a moment."

"over shoes."

"tiny shoes."

which somehow made him cry harder.

toward the end of filming you were both surrounded by baby things.

completely overwhelmed, completely clueless and completely happy.

you leaned against joe's shoulder, he immediately wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer.

"you know," you said "we have absolutely no idea what we're doing."

"none."

you laughed.

"but," he looked down at you, that soft smile appearing. the one that always made your heart ache.

"we've got each other."

your expression immediately melted.

"that's true."

"and eventually we'll figure out what half this stuff does."

"hopefully before the baby gets here."

you laughed.

he kissed the top of your head then looked at the camera.

"if any parents are watching..."

he held up another mystery baby gadget.

"...please help."

when the vlog went up a few days later, the comments were absolutely flooded.

comments:

user: you two are gonna be the sweetest parents ever

user: the fact they openly admit they have no clue what they're doing is actually so comforting

user: their baby is already so loved and it's not even here yet

user: the way he constantly reaches for her without thinking i'm emotional

user: dad keery era is thriving

user: can't wait to watch this little family grow 🤍

-

He was sat on the small sofa, still damp from the stage lights, a towel draped around his shoulders. He looked up at me, and his whole face softened.

“Hey,” he murmured, and that one word felt like home.

I crossed the room quickly, cupping his face in my hands and kissing him like I hadn’t seen him in months, even though we’d woken up together this morning. “You were amazing,” I whispered against his lips. “Like actually insane. The whole place was obsessed.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Pretty sure they were more obsessed with you standing out there screaming every lyric.”

I rolled my eyes, perching beside him. “They should be. I make a brilliant cheerleader.”

For a while, we just sat in comfortable silence, my hand resting on his knee, his fingers absentmindedly playing with mine. Eventually, though, we headed back to the hotel.

The city was buzzing outside, neon lights reflecting on wet pavements, the hum of late-night Chicago alive in every corner. But when we got to our room, that energy seemed to fall away.

Joe moved around the space quietly, placing his guitar case down, peeling off his damp T-shirt, running a hand through his messy hair. I expected him to be buzzing, full of adrenaline after such a huge show. Instead, he seemed… flat.

I crawled onto the bed, watching him carefully. “You’re awfully quiet for someone who just had an entire concert chanting their name.”

He glanced at me, lips tugging into a weak smile, then sat at the edge of the bed with a sigh. “It’s nothing.”

I frowned. “Don’t do that. Don’t give me the ‘it’s nothing’ line when clearly something’s weighing on you.”

He was quiet for a beat, staring at the floor. “It’s just…” He exhaled sharply, finally meeting my eyes. “Sometimes I miss it. The simplicity. Back when I lived here full-time, before everything got so… big.”

My heart squeezed.

“I love acting. God, I’m so grateful for what it’s given me,” he said quickly, as if he had to make sure I knew. “It changed my life. It brought me to you. None of this” he gestured around the hotel room, the city beyond, “would exist if it weren’t for that. But when I’m here, doing the music thing, I feel like… I don’t know. Like myself. Like the guy I used to be before people recognised me in airports or shoved cameras in my face.”

His voice cracked slightly at the end, and suddenly I understood the heaviness in him.

I reached out, threading my fingers through his, squeezing gently. “Joe…”

“It makes me feel guilty, though,” he went on, his voice quieter now. “Like I’m being ungrateful. I have this insane career most people would kill for. And I love it, I do. But sometimes I find myself wishing I could just… go back. Be that guy in Chicago playing music with his mates, no expectations, no spotlight. Just… life. Simple.”

The vulnerability in his words hit me square in the chest.

I shifted closer, kneeling behind him and wrapping my arms around his shoulders, pressing my cheek to the back of his neck. “You don’t have to feel guilty for that,” I whispered. “Wanting something simpler doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate what you have. It just means you’re human. And you’ve been carrying the weight of a lot for years.”

He didn’t respond right away, so I kept going.

“You’ve given so much of yourself to everyone your fans, your career, your music. But you don’t have to be Joe Keery, the celebrity with me. You don’t even have to be Joe Keery, the musician. You just get to be Joe. The one who sings in the shower. The one who still thinks beans on toast isn't an acceptable dinner. The one who loves me even when I’m grumpy and jet-lagged and impossible to deal with.”

That earned a small laugh from him, and I felt him relax slightly under my arms.

I shifted around so I was facing him again, taking his face in my hands so he had no choice but to look at me. “You don’t have to apologise for missing your old life. But don’t ever forget this- you’ve built something incredible. And the boy who used to play music with his friends in Chicago? He’s still here. He’s the same boy who walked onto that stage tonight and absolutely blew everyone away. The same boy I fell in love with. You don’t lose him just because your world got bigger.”

His eyes glistened slightly, and he swallowed hard. “How do you always know exactly what to say?”

“Because I know you,” I said simply. “Better than anyone.”

For a long moment, he just stared at me, his gaze soft but intense, like he was memorising every part of me. Then he leaned forward and kissed me.

It wasn’t the kind of kiss filled with desperation or adrenaline. It was slow, tender, grateful. His hand cupped the back of my neck, mine rested against his chest, and it felt like the kind of moment people wrote songs about.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “I love you,” he whispered, voice thick. “More than anything. More than Chicago, more than music, more than all of it. You’re it for me.”

Tears pricked my eyes, and I laughed softly. “Well, good. Because you’re stuck with me.”

He smiled then, properly this time, the heaviness in his eyes lifting. He kissed me again, deeper this time, and I thought about how surreal it was that out there, the world saw him as this larger-than-life figure. But in here, in this hotel room, he was just my Joe.

Once you all got home from the German Comic Con, life hit you all in the face. You convinced Joseph to go to the eye doctor since he had been complaining about his vision. Joe was not exactly thrilled when he came home and told you he had to wear glasses. They had ordered his glasses and told him they should be in within the next week. After that, he could get contacts. But there would be some more waiting. 

“Can you believe it? Twenty-nine years and I just now need glasses?”, Joe grumbled as he got a drink from the fridge. 

Arthur was awake, lying on his back and kicking his legs on his play mat. You sat on the floor with him. “Tell daddy, it’s okay.”, you said in a soft voice.

Joseph sighed, sitting down beside you on the floor. He took a sip of his drink, admiring his baby boy.

“What if Arthur cries when he sees me?”

You rolled your eyes, your baby beginning to smile. “He isn’t going to cry when he sees you with glasses. He’ll still know you’re his daddy.”

Joseph was being really hard on himself. In reality, you knew there was no reason for him to behave this way. He would look great in whatever he wore. He picked Arthur up, and Arthur was able to hold his head up. He smiled at the sight of his daddy.

“Do you think daddy will look weird?”, he baby-talked his son, making a face.

Arthur smiled. 

You sighed, rolling your eyes again playfully. Amelia came bouncing down the stairs once she heard her daddy’s voice, realizing he was home. 

“Daddy, you’re home?!”, she squealed, running over to him.

“Easy, love, I’ve got the baby.”, he chuckled softly as she slowed down before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. 

He kissed her head softly before she turned her attention to Arthur, making him smile. It was nice to see both of your kids getting along, and interacting with each other. You knew it could only get cuter as Arthur became able to do more things like laugh and hold his entire body up. Amelia was dying to help feed him and you and Joe had decided to let her in just a couple of weeks. It was almost Christmas break from preschool. Amelia’s Christmas party was next Friday. 

Your plan was to make cookies for her class. Amelia was excited, even asking you to help pick out an outfit for her. You all settled on a Christmas dress with white tights and black flats, and of course, her green bow. The rest of the evening was spent at home, Joseph still fretting over his glasses. Even as you fed Arthur before bed. This was new to him, you understood his hesitation. But you just knew he’d look so handsome and sexy in anything. 

It was Tuesday of the next week, Joseph had just home from getting to pick up his glasses. He came through the door, seeing if you would notice. 

“Hey love.”, he whispered.

You looked up at him, doing a double take since you noticed his glasses. “Hey, babe. They look good on you.”

“Aw, come on.”, he groaned, taking you in his arms before kissing your head. 

Occasionally, Joseph had a hard time accepting compliments even from you. He was very humble and you thought it was one of the cutest things about Joe. He held you in his arms for a minute, noticing you were making lunch. Amelia wanted grilled cheese and tomato soup, he assured you that sounded great to him. He sat down at the table, reading on his phone for a few minutes while you finished up lunch, and set the table.

“Amelia, lunch is ready!”

“Coming, mommy!”, she yelled back. 

Joseph put his phone down, kissing your cheek as you sat his plate and bowl down. “Thanks for making lunch, love.”

“You’re most welcome, babe.”

Amelia ran into the kitchen, you helping her scoot her chair out, and situate herself in it.

“Daddy, did you get glasses?”, she asked, slightly confused at seeing her dad in front of her.

He eyed you before answering her. “Yes, princess. Daddy needed glasses.”

You sat down with them, listening to their daddy-daughter banter, causing you to smirk. It was quite cute. You ate a small amount of soup and only half a grilled cheese. Your stomach was hurting slightly, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was right near your belly button, the cramping, aching feeling. You chalked it up to starting your period soon, a good sign right now with two kids. Joe noticed you weren’t eating like you usually did.

“Feeling okay, love?”

“Fine, just my stomach’s hurting a little. I think it’s about time for my monthly.”, you eyed him. 

“Mommy, what’s a monthly?”

Joe almost spat his soup out, quickly grabbing a napkin and clearing his throat. Amelia had become increasingly curious lately, questioning almost everything. Joseph definitely did not want to think about his baby girl reaching that phase of puberty. He couldn’t even handle the fact she was in preschool. He dreaded the day she got a crush on a boy, his heart couldn’t take it. 

“Um, just where mommy’s stomach hurts.”, you deflected quickly.

“Sounds bad.”, Amelia scrunched her face up, going back to her soup. 

Joe coughed again, taking a sip of water and trying to recover from his daughter’s curious question. You eyed him easily, holding back a laugh. After finishing lunch, Joe helped you clean up the kitchen. Amelia was in the living room, watching Arthur sleep. You had Bluey on to entertain her. 

“The real test is when I pick up Arthur.”, Joe sighed, looking at you and referring to his glasses.

“Amelia didn’t think anything different.”, you smirked up at him.

“Mommy, Arthur’s awake!”, Amelia yelled from the living room. 

“Okay, mommy will feed him in a few minutes, dear.”

Joe sighed, closing the cabinets. “Wesley is wanting to get together tomorrow, is it okay if I go out with him?”

You eyed Joe, putting your hands on your hips. He was always such a gentleman and asked permission to leave the house when it wasn’t business related. Joe was always conscious of you being home alone with the kids. But you knew he needed time to himself and to catch up with his friends. He offered to do the same thing for you, even offering for you to get your nails and toes done and have a massage at the salon. You were hesitant about his offer at first, especially leaving him alone with Amelia and Arthur for several hours.

It wasn’t that you thought he wasn’t capable, he most definitely was. You just felt guilty going out, you felt like your sole purpose in life was to be a mommy now. He gently encouraged you to go, stating that you deserved this and it was the least he could do for you. After his small persuasion, you hesitantly agreed. But you were very glad you went, feeling so good and relaxed once you got back home. Practically feeling like a new woman. 

“You know you don’t have to ask.”, you looked up at him. 

“It’s a respect thing, love. I just want to make sure you’re okay with it.”

“I’m perfectly fine with it, me and the kids will be fine. Tell him we said hi.”, you smirked before Joe took you in his arms, placing his hands on your waist and you all shared a small kiss. 

You both went into the living room, once Arthur was trying to become fussier. 

“Moment of truth.”, Joe smirked at you. 

All you could do was playfully roll your eyes again. Joseph picked him up out of his pack n play and you could tell he was holding his breath. Arthur’s fussing ceased, with him eyeing his daddy with his brown eyes. He finally smiled just for a second and you could tell Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. 

“You don’t think daddy looks weird, do you buddy?”, he spoke softly before kissing Arthur’s head.

Arthur smiled softly. 

“See? He knows you’re still daddy, now let me feed him before he starts crying.”, you laughed.

Joe handed him to you easily, smirking as you both sat down on the couch, Amelia climbing up on the couch with you all. She cuddled Joe while you all watched Bluey. As the evening progressed, your abdominal discomfort became worse, becoming full-on abdominal pain. Especially in your right lower abdomen. Joseph noticed your face was scrunched up, your hand on your stomach.

Arthur was asleep in your arms. Amelia was in her pajamas, asleep in her daddy’s arms. He was gonna carry her upstairs and put her in bed. 

“Love, are you sure you’re okay?”

You sighed, discomfort evident on your face. “I just am having really bad abdominal pain. Maybe where my periods are just starting to get regular again?”, you suggested. “I’m gonna take some Tylenol.”

He nodded. “Alright love, I’m gonna take Amelia to bed.

You gave her a kiss before going to the kitchen, Arthur in your arms, managing to open the pill bottle, popping two in your mouth before grabbing a cup, getting some water out of the fridge, and chasing them down quickly. You secretly hoped this would help. You turned off the lamps downstairs, beginning your trek up the stairs, feeling the pain in your abdomen worsen with these increased movements. You closed your eyes, breathing through the pain. This felt as bad if not worse than labor pains. 

You got upstairs, and Amelia’s door was cracked, signaling Joe had already successfully put her to bed. You went into the bedroom, putting Arthur in his bassinet, holding your side. Joe was in the bathroom, the door opening. You quickly removed your hand, wincing as you sat down in bed. 

“Did you take some medicine, baby?”, he asked, dressed in his pajama pants.

You nodded. “Two Tylenol.”

“If you feel any worse, wake me up, okay?”, he asked, looking into your eyes, seriousness on his face. He pulled you close to him, stretching your abdomen and causing you to wince in pain, biting back and squealing out in pain.

He felt you tense up in his arms. “Baby, am I hurting you?”

“No—it just is very sensitive. This is the worst period cramps I’ve ever had.”, you breathed, finally catching your breath.

He looked at you cautiously. “Seriously wake me up if things get worse, okay baby?”

You nodded easily, sharing a goodnight kiss with him, cuddling up to him best you could without hurting yourself further. Your side was killing you, the pain making you nauseated. Your eyes shot open, looking at the clock. It was two thirty. Joe was snoring beside you, his arms lazily wrapped around you. You broke out in a cold sweat, feeling extremely nauseated. 

You easily moved his arm, realizing you had to get to the bathroom and fast. Arthur was still fast asleep and you prayed he’d stay asleep until after you finished throwing up. Your legs were weak, and you trying not to stumble your way through the bedroom. You didn’t want to knock anything over to wake Joe up. You carefully found the doorknob, opened the bathroom door, and closed it gently behind you. You eased yourself down to your knees, the cool tile hitting your legs.

It reminded you of when you had severe morning sickness with Amelia. You grabbed your own hair, held it back, and threw up. You closed your eyes, feeling tears slide down your cheeks. You just wanted this to be over. Once you had emptied your stomach contents, you slumped down on the tile floor, just laying there, feeling relieved at how cold the floor was-especially against your face. You didn’t realize you had drifted off to sleep for a bit. 

Not until you heard the sound of Arthur crying, bringing you out of your slumber. What little bit you had managed to get while laying on your bathroom floor. When you lifted your head up, the room felt like it was spinning. If you managed to get up right now, it would take everything you had in you. Raising up from the floor, you felt the sharp, stabbing pain causing you to wince and hiss in pain. Just as you were about to try and hold on to the toilet to get up, the door opened.

“Oh my God.”, you heard your husband, shock evident in his voice. “Baby, what’s wrong? How long have you been in here? Are you sick?”

You closed your eyes, trying to get your thoughts together. “Just a really—really bad stomach ache or period cramps—so bad it’s making me nauseated. But I promise I’m fine.”

He scoffed easily. “You are so not fine. We need to go on to the emergency room. You’ve never ever had period craps nor a virus bad enough that you vomited and fell asleep on the bathroom floor.”

You sighed. You knew in the back of your mind you were fighting a losing battle. Eventually, Joseph would win. This was the worst pain you had ever felt in your entire life minus labor pains. At least with labor pains, they eventually went away. The Tylenol you had taken had barely taken the edge off. You were miserable if you were being honest. 

“No, please no emergency room. They’ll just give me a bunch of fluids and IV nausea medicine and send me home.”, you pleaded with him.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Love, I’m worried about you. It could be something more—like maybe an ectopic pregnancy or something serious.”

You sighed at his suggestion. “I don’t think so. Can you please feed Arthur and just let me lay here?”

He was taken aback at this. This was unlike you. He didn’t mind feeding Arthur for you. Joseph was willing to do anything and everything he could to help you. 

He sighed, accepting your answer for now. “Fine, but at least let me get you a pillow and blanket. And I’m coming in here when I’m done feeding the baby. This conversation is not over.”

You smiled softly at how firm he was trying to be with you before the pain took back over, causing you to frown and grimace. You could hear Joe picking Arthur up from his bassinet, beginning to baby-talk to him. Arthur’s crying was becoming softer. Joe went downstairs and grabbed him a bottle before coming back upstairs and into the bedroom. He was becoming a pro just like you, being able to hold the baby and grab other things. He came into the bedroom, bottle propped against his chest, feeding Arthur as he handed you a pillow and blanket. 

“Thank you, babe.”

He eyed you easily. “You’re welcome, babe, but we are still gonna talk about this.”, he said in a sing-song voice. 

You sighed easily as he went back into the bedroom, hearing the bed sink with his weight as he sat down to feed Arthur. You easily fixed the pillow, laying down on the tile once more. Something was wrong with you, but you weren’t exactly sure what. Joe could be right—something could be seriously wrong with you. If you were being honest, you had never felt pain like this. It was new, uncharted territory. You could feel your eyes threatening to close, becoming exhausted. You wanted to give in to your exhaustion so badly, almost drifting off as Joe entered the bathroom.

“Now, the baby’s asleep. We have to talk.”

You groaned softly, voice laced with drowsiness. “What about, babe?”

“About the fact, something is wrong with you. This behavior is so unlike you. I am seriously worried about you. I can put off going out with Wesley. He’d understand.”, Joe sighed, his brown eyes looking at you, full of concern. 

You were still very lethargic. “No, I’ll be okay. I promise. Go ahead and go out with Wesley.”

Joe ran his hand through your hair, admiring you. You were pale, cold and clammy. He knew something was wrong.

“Can mom at least come over and be with you and the kids?”, he asked softly.

You nodded, groggily. “Yeah.”

That made some relief wash over him. He knew if you got worse, his mom would at least call him and take you to the emergency room. He’d call her first thing in the morning before he left. He stroked your hair as you fought to drift off to sleep. He softly touched your face, admiring you. Your cheeks were flushed and warm, causing him concern. He wished whatever was wrong with you, he could take it away. He hated to see you in pain. Even when you were having Amelia and Arthur. 

Joe sat on the floor beside you, making sure you were okay. You were finally managing to sleep a little bit. The only time he left you was to go check on Arthur and feed him or change him. You were up and down a few times over the next several hours. Joe went and got some Pepto Bismol for you to drink. You had a couple more episodes of nausea and vomiting, Joe holding your hair back and rubbing your back. 

“You don’t think you could be pregnant, do you?”, he asked as he kissed your head.

You were just getting over your nausea and vomiting spell. 

You shook your head. “I really don’t think so. Considering we’re using condoms.”, you choked out, voice hoarse.

He sighed. “Still a small chance.”

You shook your head, dismissing this idea completely. Once morning came, Joe tried to convince you to at least get in bed or lay on the couch. You suffered through the pain, pretending as if you weren’t in immense pain. Joe helped you down to the couch, bringing you the baby as you requested to breastfeed him. You were trying to doze off, even just feeding the baby. 

“I can still cancel with Wesley if you need to go to the doctor.”, he kissed your head, feeling if you had a temperature.

“No, I’ll be okay.”, you mumbled, Arthur on your right breast. 

Your cheeks were still flushed, the rest of your face pale otherwise.

Joe wasn’t exactly convinced. He called his mom, explaining everything. He explained the fact that you wouldn’t let him take you to the doctor and dismissed this as period cramps or a bad stomach bug. He also explained you insisted that he didn’t cancel his plans with Wesley. She agreed to come help you with the kids, giving him some peace of mind. Joe got ready and put his glasses on, helping Amelia get dressed into play clothes. Once he noticed Arthur was done feeding, he scooped him up in his arms, taking him with him around the house.

You managed to take a short nap. Once Joe got dressed, the doorbell rang. Carrying Arthur, he answered the door to see his mom.

“Hello dear. Is Y/N okay?”, his mom asked.

She took her son into her arms, giving him a hug. 

He sighed. “For now. She’s taking a nap. Amelia is playing in the living room.”

She nodded, instantly beginning to make over Arthur since he was the first grandchild she laid eyes on. 

“And there’s nan’s baby boy. Yes, he is.”, she kissed his head, causing him to squirm as Joe let her take him into her arms. 

Arthur settled back down, snuggling into her arms. His mom took her shoes off, coming further into the house. Coming into the living room, she noticed you were asleep on the couch. Joseph smiled softly.

“Here, baby put your legs up on the couch. Get comfortable. Mom’s here, okay?”, he said softly, kissing your head before brushing a hand through your hair. 

“Okay.”, you said softly, wincing at him moving you. 

“And call me if you need me, please. Or get mom to.”

“Okay.”

Amelia immediately ran over to hug her nan. “Nan!”

“Hello sweetheart.”, she leaned down to kiss Amelia, careful with Arthur.

Joseph smiled, admiring the beautiful family he had. However, there was still worry seeded deep inside of him. He felt uneasy leaving you, but he didn’t want to argue with you. He felt better that his mom was there in case you needed someone. Amelia’s curls were getting longer, but they were so adorable. It was just one of the things she took after him, causing a smile to appear on her lips. Amelia smiled, going back to play with her toys.

“Call me if she gets worse.”, Joe sighed to his mom, eyeing you on the couch.

“I will, dear. Don’t worry so much. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

He nodded, giving his mom a final hug before she kissed him on the head. He grabbed his keys, taking another look at you before his mom went to sit on the loveseat, holding Arthur in her arms and beginning to ask Amelia about school and her trip to Germany. All the exciting things. He smiled softly, but he was going to worry about you the entire time he was gone. You and the kids were his everything and he wanted to do everything in his power to keep you all healthy and safe.

He met Wesley for lunch at a local pub, a familiar hangout for the both of them. Wesley could instantly read Joseph, sensing something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?”, he asked immediately.

“Y/N’s not feeling well. She was up all night last night throwing up and even slept in our bathroom floor.”, Joe sighed, rubbing his face. 

Wesley’s expression was even full of concern. “Why are you here?”

“She refuses to go to the doctor. She said it’s a bad stomach bug or bad period cramps. Mom’s with her and the kids. I told her you’d understand if I needed to cancel my plans.”

Wesley nodded. “Of course. Your family comes first. What do you think is wrong with her?”

Joe shrugged. “I don’t know but I’m worried it’s something serious.”

Wesley nodded as they waited on their food. He noticed that Joe kept checking his phone for any text or call from you or his mom. He tapped the table nervously, seeming distracted. Their food arrived but Joe barely picked at his. Wesley could tell he was more worried than he was really letting on. 

Back at home, you were in and out of sleep. You were holding your side, listening to Amelia and Joseph’s mom talk and interact. You held back your groans. You were in absolute misery. Part of you wished you had let Joe take you to the doctor or the hospital. You were feeling nauseated again, the pain increasingly becoming worse. His mom noticed, telling Amelia she’d be right back. Arthur was asleep in her arms, snoring. 

“Are you feeling sick, sweetie?”, she asked.

You closed your eyes, nodding. “Yeah.”

“Do you need the bin?”

You knew what she was referring to—the trash can. You nodded weakly. The nausea was increasing and easing up towards your throat. She took off to the kitchen quickly before returning with the trash can, sitting it near your head. Without warning, you began throwing up. You didn’t have much to give considering you hadn’t eaten since dinner last night. His mom set on the arm of the couch, grabbing your hair and pulling it back while holding Arthur in the other arm. 

This caught Amelia’s attention. “Nan, is mommy sick?”

“Yes, love. She’s not feeling well.”, you heard her voice beside you. 

Once it was over, you kept your eyes closed, feeling the tears continue to slide down your cheeks from your eyes watering.

“Lay back, sweetie. I’ll go get a washcloth.”

“You don’t have to do that.”, you coughed.

His mom clicked her tongue. “No, I insist. Just lay back and close your eyes. Relax.”

She came back from the bathroom, still holding Arthur, and got you a damp, cool washcloth and laid it on your forehead. She was a pro at multitasking. Arthur began to wake up, fussing and crying. 

“Here, let me feed him.”, you said softly, voice small and weak. 

“No dear, it’s okay. You just close your eyes. Do you have milk in the fridge?”

You nodded weakly. “Yeah, and there’s some in the freezer. Joe likes to keep it stocked.”

You could hear the smile in her voice. “He’s a proud father, that’s for sure. I’ll take care of it.”

You could hear her rummaging in the kitchen, getting his bottle ready, and feeding him. You continued to writhe, tossing and turning on the couch. You wished something—anything would end your misery. Amelia kept cautious eyes on you, worried about her mommy. You had no energy. You wanted to take care of your kids, but you couldn’t muster up the energy to do so. You suffered for a few more hours, day slipping into night. His mom kept a check on you, dabbing your head every now and then with a washcloth before leaving it on your forehead permanently. 

Your phone dinged and you knew it was Joseph, but you couldn’t muster the energy to even look at it. You finally reached the end of your rope. 

“Call Joe, please call him. I need him. I need him so bad.”, you began to sob into the couch cushion. 

She eyed you sympathetically before sitting down. “You want me to call him, sweetheart? Do you want me to go ahead and take you to the emergency room and have him meet us there?”

You nodded, holding your side. “Can Joe take me, please? I don’t want the kids to be alarmed. I need him.”, you began to cry. 

“Of course, dear. I’ll call him now.”

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. You could only hear her side of the conversation. 

“Hey dear, it’s mum. Y/N wants you, honey. She’s begging for you. Yes, come and take her to the emergency room. Yes, she’s gotten slightly worse. Yes. Okay, dear. Be careful driving, I love you.”

She came over and felt your head again. She was being motherly towards you, obviously and clearly concerned about you. Amelia was worried, coming over to talk to you.

“Mommy, are you okay?”, her voice broke.

You nodded. “Mommy will be okay.”

His mom sat beside you, watching you. She could visibly see you were uncomfortable and miserable. You were quietly beginning to sob into the pillow again. She put her hand on your shoulder. It was just a matter of fifteen or twenty minutes before the door came open, Joe rushed in the door. He was visibly shaken, feeling a little on edge. You heard him come over to you.

“Baby.”, he said softly, partially filled with relief and the other with sympathy for the pain you felt. 

Joe ran his hand through your hair, feeling how clammy you were. He looked back at his mom before speaking again. “Love, we need to go to the hospital. Are you ready?”

You nodded, beginning to cry. “Please Joe. Please.”

Joe looked at you with sympathetic eyes, he hated to see you cry. 

He kissed your head. “Okay, baby. Okay.”, he breathed, kissing your forehead again. 

He made a few more last-minute arrangements, asking his mom if she would keep the kids while you all were gone. She agreed and stated she would call his dad to come over too. Amelia was worried, Joe could see it all over her face. She was on the verge of shedding tears, carefully wiping her eyes and sniffling. Joe’s heart immediately sank noticing his baby girl so upset. 

Joe went over to Amelia, kneeling down on her level. “It’s going to be okay, baby girl. Okay?”

She nodded carefully, rubbing her eyes again. “Promise daddy?”

“Daddy promises. Daddy’s gonna take mommy to the doctor to help her feel better, okay? Daddy and mommy love you so much.”, he breathed, his voice wavering as he leaned her over to kiss her head. 

“Love you, daddy. Love you mommy.”, she said softly. 

Joseph’s mom was still holding Arthur, Joe taking his time to kiss his baby boy goodbye for the time being. After that, Joe quickly turned his attention back to you. You were crying, trying to keep it quiet. It was hard to focus on anything. Other than the immense pain you felt. You could hardly even focus on Joe’s voice or Amelia’s voice. You had never experienced anything like this in your life and you never hoped to again.

“Come on baby, let’s go.”, he said softly, kissing your head.

He tried to help you sit up, however, when he did, you felt like you were being stabbed, yelling out. “Babe—please stop—it hurts so bad!”

The end of your sentence was frail and weak as you broke into a sob. Joseph’s face crinkled in worry, immediately began to apologize profusely. “I’m so so sorry, baby. I am so sorry.”

Through the stream of your tears, you saw Amelia gasp and cling to Joseph’s mom. 

Joe ran his hand through your hair softly, touching your cheek. You sobbed into your hands, feeling like you were dying. That’s what you would compare this to. 

“Let me carry you, baby. Please.”, he thumbed over your cheek.

You nodded, tears still sliding down your cheeks. Joe scooped you in his arms, reminiscent of your wedding day when he carried you bridal style. You clung to him with everything in you. He was always your safety blanket and today was no exception. Especially feeling like this. He held on to you as his mom went to open the doors to go outside and to the car, telling Amelia she’d be right back. Joe kissed your head as you tried to stop crying. You could only imagine the conversation you were going to be having with him once you all got into the car. 

He would probably tell you that you should have let him take you to the doctor this morning or even last night. You deserved to hear those words, you admitted it. He easily put you in the car, dreading the movement. It hurt so bad. Joe apologized the entire time he helped you into the vehicle, kissing your head. He finally got you situated, laying the seat down, and making you a little more comfortable. His mom hugged him, assuring him she would keep the kids and they would be fine. 

He came around, getting in the driver’s side. Starting the vehicle, his brown eyes panned over at you. He looked at you, trying to read you. 

“Go ahead and say it.”, you said softly, gripping your side. 

“Say what, love?”, he asked softly in return.

“That I was stupid and should have let you take me to the hospital this morning or yesterday evening. Because I’ll admit it, I should have—I wished I would have.”

He dismissed you quickly. “I wasn’t going to say that, baby. I wish you would have let me take you but I’m just glad you are now before things get worse.”, he rubbed your thigh. 

You nodded softly, leaning your head against the door of the car. The hospital wasn’t very far away. You both were well aware of that, especially after having two children. What few minutes it took to arrive at the emergency room, felt like hours to you. It was the pain. Once arriving at the hospital, Joe scooped you up and out of the vehicle, carefully putting you in a wheelchair. You cried softly and he apologized again, rubbing your shoulders. Even through the terrible pain, Joe could do his best to make you feel better. 

Once you got inside, you registered at the registration desk. You explained what horrible abdominal pain you were having and how fast the onset of pain was. She asked you a million questions about insurance, your address, and how much of the previous information they had on file for you that was correct. After finishing that painstaking process, you all sat in the waiting room, Joe rubbing your arm. It caused you both to look up when the nurse called your name, an all too familiar feeling. 

Joe pushed you through the door that led from the waiting room to the emergency room. The nurse asked if you could weigh, but you explained you were in too much pain. She took you on back to room three. She asked you several questions—very similar to the ones the registrar asked you. Her eyes widened as she noticed your blood pressure was elevated, however, she attributed the high numbers as a result of your pain.

“Any chance you could be pregnant? When was your last period?”, she asked.

“Um, probably not—we use condoms. And my last period was the fifteenth of last month.”, you said tensely. 

She nodded. “We’ll go ahead and run a pregnancy test when the lab draws some blood, okay? We’re gonna go ahead and get you an IV started in just a few minutes.”

You nodded. She disappeared, telling you both the doctor would be back soon. Joe kissed your head, brushing through your hair again. You lay down, holding your side. You just wanted relief from this pain. It was ten minutes before the doctor came in. Part of you was relieved, the other worried as to what she would find out was wrong with you. 

“Hello, Mrs. Quinn. I’m Dr. Anderson. The nurse told me you started experiencing your pain last night.”

You nodded. 

“And you’ve been experiencing some nausea and vomiting?”

You nodded.

She asked you the same round of questions—if there was a chance of pregnancy, when your last period was, etc. The nurse came back in why she was asking you these questions to start your IV. The doctor asked you to lean back and she warned you that what she was about to do would hurt. She palpated your abdomen, running over the right lower part of your abdomen. You wanted to jump out of the bed, tears threatening to fall. Joe noticed, taking your hand. You looked to be in more pain than when you had the kids. She finished, stating she was going to run some lab work and do an MRI but would give you some Zofran and pain medication once your IV was in. Joe knew you hated being stuck. It was one of your least favorite things. Even though you had two children, you still hated it. 

“Look at me.”, he said softly. 

Your eyes panned over to him as the nurse tied the tourniquet on your arm, searching for a vein—her gloved finger running over your skin. He almost wanted to cry himself noticing how tear-filled your eyes were. Joseph truly hated to see you in pain. At least when you had the babies, there was something to look forward to at the end. Holding your babies was the best feeling and the biggest adrenaline rush. With this, he was unsure where this would go and what was wrong with you. 

He stroked his thumb over your hand the nurse wasn’t using. “Remember the first time they stuck you for your IV when you were in labor with Amelia?”

You smiled softly, nodding through your pain. “Yeah. I was in denial about it being real labor.”

He laughed. “But you were so desperate to have her.”

“Big stick.”, the nurse said as she slid the IV into a vein in your arm, but you didn’t really hear her because you were focusing on Joe.

You barely winced as Joe continued. “I was so huge and miserable.”

“You were not.”, he disagreed.

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever.”

He chuckled again as the nurse finished taping your IV. “How many kids do you have?”

“Two—a four-year-old little girl and an eleven-week-old baby boy.”, you answered, wincing at the pain in your abdomen. 

She nodded. “Aw, how sweet. What’re their names?”

“Amelia and Arthur.”

“Adorable, alright sweetie here’s your zofran for nausea and she ordered you some morphine for pain, okay?”, the nurse eyed you.

You nodded, thankful that you were finally going to see some relief from nausea, vomiting, and pain. The nurse put the medication through your IV. It was just a few minutes after the Morphine, you instantly felt relief. Joe noticed you finally relaxed, closing your eyes. They wheeled you away from him to have your MRI. Your brain was wracked with thoughts of what could be wrong with you. It terrified you to know that you could focus on what was really ahead of you rather than the immense pain you were feeling. 

Bringing you back into the emergency room, you climbed back on the stretcher easily. Joe covered you back up, kissing your head. 

“You know I love you more than anything.”, Joe eyed you. 

You were a little high on pain medicine. “You do?”, you smiled at him, making a pouty face. 

Joe smile with his brown eyes shining, running a hand through your hair. “Yes, I love you and our kids more than anything in this entire world.”

He leaned over and shared a kiss with you, also relieved you were not in as much pain as you had been. It may have been twenty minutes before the doctor came back in. 

“Alight Mrs. Quinn, I have your MRI results back and the good news is you’re not experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. The bad news is, you have an inflamed appendix which we call appendicitis. You do need to have emergency surgery to prevent it from rupturing which can cause a lot of complications.”

You and Joe looked at one another, trying to take in this information. 

“But—”, you tried to protest, feeling fear and anxiety begin to set in, along with tears welling up in your eyes instantly thinking about spending a night away from your kids. 

“No buts, baby. You need this.”, Joe eyed you, rubbing your arm softly. 

You knew he was right, you had to have surgery. The doctor said she would have the surgeon on-call to come in and talk to you about your risks, and possible complications, and to review the procedure with you. Your surgical consent would also need to be signed. You would immediately be prepped for surgery. The doctor left to give you all a few minutes to gather your thoughts. Tears were welling up in your eyes, feeling fear and shock beginning to set in. 

Joe noticed. “Love, it’s going to be alright.”, he took your hand before kissing it.

“I’m scared, Joe. This is major surgery.”

Deep down inside, he was worried too. But he knew he had to put on a brave face for you. 

“I know, love. But this is how you’re going to feel better.”, he brushed through your hair. 

He went ahead and called his mom, letting her know they were going to do emergency surgery. The surgeon came in within thirty minutes to talk to you both, explaining everything. You shook as you grabbed the pen and clipboard, signing your name on the signature line, and giving them permission to perform surgery on you to remove your appendix. They give you a quick surgical bath and a new gown. 

“She’s gonna be admitted to room 312 after her surgery. You can wait in the waiting room and a nurse will come to get you to come and see her in recovery.”, the nurse eyed Joseph who was from the OR team. 

They explained you were going to holding in the OR for them to give you some medicine to relax you before taking you into the operating room. They put a disposable blue bouffant cap on you, the kind the OR team wears and you felt slightly ridiculous but also very tearful. 

They stopped the stretcher to allow you and Joseph a moment. 

Joe looked down at you with what looked like watery eyes, holding your clothes and a packet they had given you for your admission. He smiled softly before stroking your cheek.

“You’re gonna be fine, love. I’ll be right there as soon as they let me, okay? I promise.”, he kissed your cheek. 

“Okay, babe. Check on the kids, please.”

He nodded. 

“Do I look ridiculous?”, you asked softly causing Joe to chuckle and smile.

“No, still the most beautiful woman ever. I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.”, you said, tears in your eyes but Joe kissed you on the lips softly. 

You all kept your eyes on each other as they wheeled you away on the stretcher. This was really happening, you were doing this. When they got you down to OR holding, you felt a chill in the air. The nurse took over, reviewing the procedure with you and asking some questions. The anesthesiologist came shortly after to push the medication through your IV, almost instantly calming you down. All you could think about was your kids and Joseph. 

“How are you feeling?”, the nurse asked easily. 

“Tired…”, you said drowsily, speech slightly slurred.

“Alright, dear. We are going back to the OR and I’m gonna get you to transfer from this stretcher to the table, okay?”

You nodded slowly, closing your eyes. It was a matter of time before you came into the operating room, the staff asked you to transfer over to the bed and it took you a moment to do so, trying to get your body to follow the commands from your brain to move. You didn’t feel half as nervous, the medicine kicking in. The nurse talked calmly as they placed the mask over your face, asking you to count back from ten. You only made it to six before everything went black. 

The first thing you remembered when waking up was feeling your husband holding your hand, stroking it softly. 

“Hey, love. It’s all over now.”, his voice carried softly. 

You fought to blink your eyes open, but everything was blurry. Joseph finally came into view. 

“It’s done?”, you asked groggily. 

He nodded. “Mhmm. Let me let the nurse know you’re awake and I’ll be right back.”, he kissed your head.

You heard him walk away, meeting the nurse right outside the curtain. You heard them talking as she came into see you and assess you, Joseph sitting back down on the other side of the stretcher. 

“How are you Mrs. Quinn?”, she asked.

“Tired…hurting…nauseous.”, you crinkled your face. 

“I’ll get you some medicine, okay?”

Joseph held your hand as the nurse left briefly just to grab some medicine and come right back. She told you what each medicine was as she pushed it through your IV, allowing you to get instant relief.

“How are the kids?”, you asked slowly. 

“Fine, mom and dad just fed them about an hour ago. Mom said they’re getting baths and going to bed soon.”, he thumbed over your hand. 

You nodded, feeling satisfied. They took your vitals a few more times before preparing to take you to your regular room. Joe walked right beside the stretcher the entire time. The nurse told you to keep your eyes open and not fall back asleep. You listened to her. You arrived in your room, the nurse helped you off the stretcher. Joe took over, making sure you made it to your bed before covering you up and kissing your head. She took your vitals again as they handed off report to your nurse on the floor.

They brought you some dinner if you considered broth, jello, and a soda dinner. You ate it easily, looking at Joe and asking him if he was going to eat. He said he would in a little bit. They brought him a tray as well, considering it was so late. You became more alert as the night went on, however, you asked for your pain medicine before getting up to go to the bathroom, which you dreaded so badly. It wasn’t as bad as you imagined it would be, but you were sorer than you had been after having Amelia and Arthur. 

Joe held your hand, sitting in a chair by your bed as you fell asleep. He called one more time to check on the kids, both fast asleep. His mom informed him Amelia asked every hour if you were okay and out of surgery. Joe thought that was the cutest thing. While on the phone, he arranged a little surprise for you tomorrow. If all went well, you would get released tomorrow. He knew how much you wanted to go home. He eventually drifted off to sleep in the chair but set an alarm every four hours to wake you up and see if you needed pain medicine. It was cute how much he took care of you.

The next morning, you felt sorer but felt more like yourself. They advanced your diet, finally allowing you to get regular food. Joe called his mom and dad as you ate breakfast. The day began to pass, you trying to watch television and get your mind off things while talking to Joseph and having him by your side. Jamie and Jess texted to see how everything went. Wesley checked in also. It was sweet of them to be concerned and care about you. Joseph smiled at his phone, his mom and dad letting him know they had arrived and would be inside shortly. 

You noticed but didn’t say anything. Suddenly, the door opened and you heard the sweetest sound. Your eyes immediately shot over to the door, noticing your daughter. 

“Mommy!”, Amelia yelled as she ran over to your bed, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. 

“Amelia!”, you said excitedly, smiling from ear to ear. 

She ran over to the bed, Joe helping give her a boost while smiling to himself. Her curls were perfect, cascading down slightly past her shoulders. She liked her hair long and you didn’t fight her on that. Joe loved it too, so it stayed. She instantly hugged you tightly, Joe reminding her to be easy on you. You kissed her head.

“Me and Arthur got these for you, mommy.”, she handed you the flowers. 

Joe watched with proud eyes.

Tears instantly came into your eyes as you took them from her easily. “Amelia, I love them.”

You hugged her again. 

His mom held Arthur in her arms, he was still so small and you had missed him so much. He was only two and half months old. You had pumped enough, thankfully. You had no idea you were going to have surgery, and take pain medication and antibiotics. He squeaked easily, stretching in Joseph’s mother’s arms. 

“Aw, it’s my baby boy.”, you looked up at his mom as she brought him over to you. 

She handed him to you, and he instantly settled down in your arms, realizing his mommy finally had him again.

“I brought his milk. It’s in the cooler.”, his mom smiled, grabbing it from his dad.

“Thank you guys for everything.”, you smiled, tears in your eyes as you held Arthur in your arms, Amelia leaned over on you.

“You’re most welcome, dear.”, she hugged you.

It was a few more hours before the surgeon came in, admiring your family and giving you the news that you were formally being discharged. You were relieved, ready to go home with your kids and husband. 

“Thank you for being here for me, babe.”, you looked up at Joe as Arthur slept.