#miniseries

James stopped by.

Your stomach dropped.

Stopped by, as if it were casual, as if he’d just dropped off sugar, as if your world wasn’t falling apart because of this.

You didn’t open it, you didn’t need to. You already knew who was messaging you.

Another message came in.

He came to my apartment.

Your breath caught, so that’s why he hadn’t woken you when he left. Your fingers hovered over the screen, but you still didn’t reply.

Another message.

I didn’t invite him. Before you think that.

The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

We talked. That was it.

You let out a hollow breath.

I just thought you shouldn’t hear it from the press. People are watching him.You seem like a strong woman. I’m sure you’ll handle this however you think is best.

You locked your phone without answering, and anger didn’t begin to cover it. You were furious. Of course, she wanted you to know first, not to spare your feelings, but to make sure you pictured it. Him there with her, not here with you.

Minutes passed, or seconds, you couldn’t tell anymore. Then the front door opened.

“Doll?”

Your entire body tensed. Footsteps approached. He walked into the kitchen, shrugging off his jacket, and stopped the second he saw your face.

“What’s wrong?”

You didn’t answer. You grabbed your phone and threw it across the counter toward him.

“Read it.”

He frowned, picking it up.

You watched his face change.

Watched the exact second he realized.

“She texted you,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” you snapped. “She did.”

“I can explain—”

“You went to her apartment?” Your voice cracked, rising. “You went to her?”

“It wasn’t like that—”

“Then what was it like, James?” you shouted, the control you’d been clinging to finally shattering. 

“Nothing happened!” he insisted.

“I didn’t ask that!” you yelled, your hands were shaking now. “You walked out of this house,” you cut him off, voice breaking, “and let me sit here like an idiot thinking we were in this together while you went to her.”

His face fell. “I am in this with you. I needed answers,” he said, softer now. “I thought—”

“You thought she would give them to you?” You let out a hysterical laugh. “Of course you did. Of course, you still trust her.”

“She didn’t do it,” he said quickly. “She told me there was a man asking about me, following me.”

“Oh my God,” you whispered, staring at him in disbelief. “You actually believe her.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

That did it.

“Because she lies, James!” you screamed. “She has always lied!”

“That’s not true—”

“Yes, it is!” you cut him off, tears streaming down your face now. “Since college! Every single time she pulled you away from me.”

“Baby—”

“Don’t ‘baby’ me!” you snapped. “You think I didn’t notice?

“That’s not fair,” he said, shaking his head. “I always chose you—”

“After I fought for it!” you shouted. 

Silence filled the room. He looked like you’d slapped him. He shook his head. “I just don’t see why she’d lie about something like this.”

You stared at him.

“God, you’re so blind,” you said, voice breaking. “She has always hated me. She made my life miserable, and I stayed, because I loved you.”

You pressed your fingers to your temples, overwhelmed.

“And yeah,” you added bitterly, “I wasn’t perfect either. I pushed back. I made it hard for her, too. Because I couldn’t stand her.”

Bucky looked stunned. “You never told me.”

“And risk losing you?” you said, almost laughing. “She was your best friend. You would’ve never believed me.”

Your voice softened, but it hurt more that way. “So I stayed quiet,” you said. “Because you always believe her.”

You took another step back.

“Just like now, look at you!” you cried. “You’re doing it right now! She says something, and you just believe her. No questions, no doubt.”

He had no answer, and that silence broke something in you.

“I need space,” you said, your voice collapsing into something small, fragile.

“Please don’t do this,” he said, panic creeping in.

“I can’t—” you shook your head, backing away from him. 

“Doll—”

“Go!” you cried. “Just, go!”

He froze, torn, desperate. But he saw it in your face; there was nothing he could say that would fix this, at least not tonight.

Slowly, he nodded and walked away.

The sound of the guest room door closing echoed through the house.

You stood there, shaking, breath uneven, tears falling freely. Your hand moved to your stomach.

That night, neither of you slept. Bucky didn’t even try; the mattress felt like something he hadn’t earned, so he stayed seated instead, back pressed against the bedframe, head tilted toward the window, staring at nothing. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw your face.

He might have drifted off at some point, because the sound of voices downstairs pulled him back, low murmurs, movement, something was unfamiliar. Then he heard a knock, sharp enough to make him jump. Bucky was on his feet instantly, heart already racing. You wouldn’t knock unless something was wrong, he knew you were too proud for that. So he opened the door.

“Steve?”

Relief didn’t come; if anything, it got worse. Why would his best friend, who is a doctor, be here this early if it wasn’t an emergency? Bucky’s chest tightened.

Steve took one look at him and saw lack of sleep, wrinkled clothes, and the kind of exhaustion that went deeper than physical.

“Bucky.”

“What are you doing here?” Bucky asked, voice rough.

“She called.”

Your name wasn’t necessary. Bucky frowned, confusion flashing into fear, and his stomach dropped.

“What happened?” he asked quickly. “Is she okay?”

“Hey, hey.” Steve stepped forward slightly. “Everything’s okay.”

Bucky didn’t relax.

“You need to come downstairs,” Steve continued. “Trust me… You don’t want to miss this.”

That didn’t help.

“And shower,” Steve added, glancing at him pointedly. “Quickly.”

Bucky blinked, thrown off, but he didn’t argue.

He turned, grabbed whatever clothes he could, and rushed through the fastest shower of his life, barely thinking, barely breathing. Something was happening, and it involved you. 

Minutes later, he was heading downstairs, still damp, shirt clinging slightly where water hadn’t fully dried.

You were already there, sitting on the couch, waiting for him. Your eyes lifted the moment you heard him, and for a split second, just for a second, everything else disappeared. 

Because he looked… unfairly good. Hair still wet, droplets tracing down his neck, his shirt slightly undone, and you hated that you noticed. Hated that your chest tightened for reasons that had nothing to do with anger. But his eyes, his eyes were still red, tired, searching, asking you silently if you were okay. 

You looked away first.

Steve was kneeling in front of you, focused on a small monitor, plugging in cables with practiced ease. Bucky stepped closer, confusion settling in again.

“What’s going on?”

Steve glanced up at him, a small smile breaking through. “We’re going to take a look at the baby, take a seat.” 

Bucky sat down slowly. He kept his distance, close, but not too close, careful not to brush against you, like he hadn’t earned that yet.

Steve Rogers adjusted the small monitor, the soft hum of the machine filling the room. It felt louder than it should’ve been for some reason.

“Alright,” Steve said gently. “Just try to relax.”

You nodded, carefully lying on the couch, even if your hands were still tense in your lap. 

Bucky glanced at you, quick and uncertain, then looked back at the screen like he didn’t trust himself to linger while Steve applied the gel and positioned the probe with ease.

“Ready?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” you whispered.

The screen flickered to life, static at first and blurry shapes. Bucky leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“There,” Steve said, pointing at a tiny shape. “And that’s the heartbeat.”

Bucky’s breath hitched. He didn’t even realize he’d stopped breathing until his chest tightened.

“That’s…” Your voice broke.

Steve smiled gently. “Yeah, and very strong, too.”

Bucky swallowed hard, eyes glued to the screen.

“It’s healthy?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

“From what I can see, yes, everything looks good,” Steve reassured. “Heartbeat’s strong, rhythm is steady. That’s exactly what we want at this stage.”

Bucky nodded, but his vision blurred anyway, and a tear slipped down before he could stop it. He turned his head slightly, trying to hide it, jaw tightening, but it was useless; his shoulders tensed, and his breath was uneven. It felt like everything hit him at once.

You felt your chest tighten. For a moment, you just watched him.

“Jamie.”

Your voice was soft. He looked up immediately, eyes red, like he hadn’t expected you to speak to him at all. You didn’t hesitate; he was your husband, you couldn’t just brush it off, you shifted slightly, creating space beside you.

“Come sit here,” you said quietly.

He froze. “Are you sure?”

You nodded, and for him that was enough. He moved closer this time, still careful, but he didn’t stop himself like before. He sat beside you, close enough now that the space between you felt smaller. 

Steve kept his attention on the screen, giving you both privacy without making it obvious. “You’re still early,” he continued gently. “But everything’s progressing exactly how it should.”

Bucky let out a shaky breath, eyes still locked on the monitor.

“That’s… that’s our baby,” he murmured, almost in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Steve said with a small smile. “It is.”

Bucky’s hand hovered for a moment between you, uncertain, then he slowly reached for yours, tentatively, his fingers wrapped around your hand, and you didn’t pull away.

He exhaled, something in his chest loosening just slightly. The faint sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

“There it is again,” Steve said softly.

Bucky squeezed your hand just a little tighter, his thumb brushing lightly against your skin without thinking.

——————————————————————

After a few more minutes of instructions on vitamins, rest, and precautions, Steve packed up the monitor.

“I’ll check in again soon,” he said gently.

Bucky nodded and walked him to the door. “Thanks for coming, man,” Bucky said, voice quieter now.

“Of course,” Steve replied. “You really think I’d miss this?”

Bucky let out a faint breath, running a hand through his still-damp hair. “I didn’t even know you had one of those machines, or I would’ve called you sooner.”

Steve gave him a look. “I didn’t. Not until this morning.”

Bucky frowned. “What?”

“Courtesy of your in-laws,” Steve said, adjusting the strap of his bag. “A full donation with gynecological and pediatric top-tier equipment.”

That only confused Bucky more. “I thought she called you.”

“She did,” Steve nodded. “But a few hours later, her father called me personally. Made sure I had everything I needed to check on her here.” He glanced back toward the house. “Said you two couldn’t leave the house for obvious reasons.”

Bucky looked down, jaw tightening. “They must hate me right now.”

Steve didn’t answer that.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” Bucky added. “Everything just… happened.”

Steve shook his head. “I get it. It’s a lot.”

Bucky exhaled slowly. “I’m guessing the press is having a field day today after last night.”

Steve frowned. “What happened last night?”

Bucky blinked. “You didn’t see it?”

“I watched the news this morning,” Steve said. “Nothing new.”

Bucky hesitated. “Maybe it hasn’t hit the news yet,” he muttered.

Steve’s expression sharpened. “What hasn’t hit yet, Buck?”

Bucky ran a hand over his face. “I went to Sharon’s apartment.”

Steve went very still. Then he pressed his fingers to his temples, already looking exhausted.” “Bucky…”

“I know,” Bucky said quickly, lifting his hands in defense. “I know how it sounds.”

“It sounds exactly like what you shouldn’t be doing right now.”

“I needed answers,” Bucky insisted. “And she said she didn’t take the photos. She didn’t send anything to the press.”

Steve looked at him for a long second. “And you believed her?”

Bucky frowned slightly. “I thought she was my friend. You wouldn’t believe your friend?”

Steve crossed his arms. “Don’t twist it. I’m the first one to give people the benefit of the doubt, you know that, but even I know better when it comes to Sharon.”

Bucky stilled.

“They didn’t get along,” Steve said. “Your wife and Sharon. Back in college.”

Bucky blinked. “I recently found out.”

Steve replied flatly. “Everyone knew.”

The words landed heavy.

“How come you never said anything?” Bucky asked.

Steve met his eyes. “I tried, It happened right in front of you,” Steve said. “And you still missed it.”

Bucky’s chest tightened.

“All those times Sharon needed you,” Steve continued, quieter now, “all the emergencies, the excuses, don’t you think it’s strange how they always showed up when you were with her?”

Bucky didn’t answer. Because now he was starting to remember.

A soft sound came from behind them, and both men turned to see you standing there; neither had heard you approach. Your arms were wrapped around yourself, your expression unreadable.

“Hey,” Bucky started, immediately straightening. “You shouldn’t be up—”

“Maybe it’s not going to hit the news at all,” you said quietly.

Bucky frowned, confused. “What?”

You tilted your head slightly, your voice calm, too calm. “Maybe she didn’t have the time.”

Bucky stilled.

“Think about it, you showed up unannounced,” you continued. “No warning, she had no time to call anyone, no time to set anything up.”

He looked at you, but really looked at you, the hurt in your eyes, the exhaustion, and something in him cracked.

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I should’ve seen it.” He took a step closer. “I thought I was being a good friend,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t paying attention to what it was doing to you.”

Your throat tightened.

“I believe you, I also think she’s lying,” he said finally. “I should’ve believed since the start,” he added. “I should’ve asked. I should’ve noticed.” He swallowed. “But I believe you now.”

Your eyes softened. “I’m going to fix this,” he said quietly. “Not just the press.” A pause. “I’m going to fix what I broke with you.”

Your breath caught softly, because for the first time, it didn’t sound like a promise to calm you down.

—----------------------------------------------------------------

After a couple of weeks, things between you and Bucky had started to feel better. He barely left your side anymore. You could feel his presence behind you constantly, careful, attentive, like he was terrified that if he gave you too much space, you’d slip away from him again.

At night, he would hold you for hours on the couch, one hand resting over your small baby bump, thumb brushing gently against it even though you were barely showing yet, that didn’t matter to him. And he had been working from home ever since everything happened, refusing to leave the house for longer than necessary.

Tonight after dinner, you stayed behind in the kitchen helping May clean while Bucky went upstairs to shower, promising he’d wait for you in bed.

“You should go upstairs with Mr. Barnes,” May said as she dried one of the dishes.

“In a minute,” you replied.

“He’s waiting for you.”

You smiled faintly. “I know. But he barely lets me do anything these days.”

“He worries about the baby.”

“Washing dishes isn’t dangerous, May.”

“No,” she agreed gently, “but stress is.”

You sighed softly, drying your hands.

“He seems regretful,” May added carefully.

Your expression softened slightly.

“I think he is,” you admitted. “He even asked if I wanted him to work from home permanently.”

May looked genuinely pleased by that.

“Well, that man worships the ground you walk on.”

Before you could answer, the doorbell rang, and both of you froze.

“Are you expecting anyone, Mrs. Barnes?” You shook your head slowly.

The bell rang again, longer this time and way more impatient.

May moved first, and you followed behind her instinctively. The second the door opened, your stomach dropped. Sharon stood there.

“Oh,” she said when she saw you, her lips curving slightly. “You’re here.”

The tone alone made your jaw tighten. You stepped forward before May could say anything. “This is my house,” you said flatly.

Her smile sharpened. “Right,” she murmured. “Of course it is.”

“You shouldn’t be here, Sharon.”

“I didn’t come to fight,” she replied quickly, placing a hand dramatically against the doorframe. “I came to help.”

You let out a quiet, humorless laugh. “Help?”

“Yes,” she said, already stepping inside without permission. “Because clearly you don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”

May immediately moved to block her path, but you lifted a hand slightly, stopping her.

No, you really wanted this.

“Then enlighten me,” you said coldly.

Sharon brushed imaginary lint from her sleeve. “I did some digging about the man I mentioned to James.”

Your eyes narrowed instantly.

“Is James here?” she asked. “I need to speak to him.”

“You remembered something?” you asked.

“A little,” she replied smoothly. “Enough to know finding him won't be easy.”

“Convenient.”

Her eyes flicked toward you, irritation finally surfacing. “Listen,” she sighed, crossing her arms, “I know we’ve never gotten along and we were enemies in college––”

“No,” you interrupted sharply. “In your mind, we were enemies. In mine, you were just an annoying bitch I tolerated for my husband.”

Sharon’s composure cracked immediately. “You think you’re better than me?” she snapped. “You think you won because you married him?”

“I didn’t win anything,” you replied coldly. “Because you were never competition, I played your game, but I always knew he was never going to leave me for you.”

Sharon scoffed, but it sounded forced now. “That’s funny, considering he used to be in love with me.” 

“Used to,” you echoed. “And somehow, that’s still the most important thing in your life.” You stepped even closer. “You’re still stuck there,” you said quietly. “Still chasing something that ended years ago. And you hate me for it, not because I took him from you, but because he chose me.” 

A sharp inhale sounded behind you. Bucky. You hadn’t even heard him come downstairs. You imagine May call him, because she wasn’t beside you anymore.

Her expression shifted instantly. “James,” she said softly, relief washing over her face. “Thank God.”

You turned, and Bucky stood at the bottom of the stairs, hair still damp from the shower, sweater clinging slightly where drops of water soaked through the fabric.

But the moment he saw Sharon, his expression hardened. “What the hell is she doing here?”

“Tell her, tell her you didn’t choose her,” Sharon said immediately, stepping toward him. “Tell her she pushed me out. James, she ruined everything between us.”

You let out a disbelieving laugh. “I pushed you out?” you repeated. “You made my life miserable.”

“Oh, please,” Sharon scoffed. “You played victim so well, I’ll give you that.”

“That’s enough,” Bucky warned.

But Sharon ignored him completely, and so did you.

“And now this,” she said, her gaze dropping pointedly to your stomach. “And now you’re pregnant, I saw Steve leaving earlier,” Sharon continued casually. “Kind of hard to miss all the equipment.” 

A cruel smile spread across her face. “Congratulations,” she said. “What a perfect way to lock everything in place.”

Bucky stepped forward immediately. “Watch your mouth.”

But Sharon kept looking at you. “You really think a baby changes anything?” she asked venomously. “You think it fixes what’s already broken?”

Something inside you snapped clean in half.

“You know, you weren’t pushed out,” you said sharply. “You wore him down. Every time he had plans, every time he was happy, every time he chose me, you suddenly had a crisis.”

“That’s not true—”

“It is,” you cut her off. “And you know it.”

Sharon’s jaw tightened.

“You didn’t lose him,” you continued, your voice gaining strength. “You lost control over him, and now you’re here doing the same thing,” you said. “Manipulating, lying, inserting yourself into something that was never yours.”

“Oh come on,” Sharon scoffed. “We all know why he married you.” Her eyes flicked toward your stomach again. “A baby? That’s not love. That’s strategy.”

“Careful.” Bucky’s voice came low and lethal. He stepped directly in front of you this time, shielding you from Sharon completely. “You do not get to speak to her like that,” he said coldly. “Ever.”

Sharon blinked, stunned. “James—”

“No,” he cut her off sharply. “You’ve done enough.”

The room fell silent, then Bucky turned slightly toward you just enough for you to see his face, and there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation anymore.

“I chose her,” he said firmly, looking back at Sharon. “Not because of her family. Not because of money. I chose her because I love her.”

Sharon’s face fell.

“And I keep choosing her,” he continued. “Every single day. Even when I screw things up. Even when I don’t deserve her.” Your chest tightened. “And you,” he added, voice turning ice cold, “do not get to walk into our home and disrespect my wife.”

Sharon stared at him in disbelief. “So that’s it?” she asked bitterly. “You’re taking her side?”

“There is no side,” Bucky replied immediately. “There’s my family, and you are not part of it.”

Sharon’s expression hardened when she realized she had lost. “This isn’t over,” she muttered.

Bucky stepped forward and opened the door. “Yes,” he said calmly. “It is.”

She frowned.

“I was going to wait for this, but yesterday,” Bucky continued, “I hired actual investigators. Real ones. And they found your photographer.”

For the first time, Sharon looked nervous.

“I was going to press charges,” Bucky said. “Drag this through court. Let lawyers tear you apart.” He stepped closer. “But then I realized people like him care about one thing more than loyalty, money, so I paid him four times what you pay him for the real footage.”

Sharon’s face drained of color.

“And now,” Bucky finished coldly, “the next story hitting every paper in this city will be about you.”

The moment Bucky finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. Sharon stood frozen near the doorway, her face drained of color as she stared at him.

“You’re lying,” she said finally.

Bucky didn’t blink. “I’m not.”

Her breathing sharpened immediately.

“No,” she laughed suddenly, but there was something unstable beneath it now, “no, you’re bluffing. You’re trying to scare me.”

“I already sent everything to my lawyers this morning,” Bucky replied coldly. “The photographer gave them the messages, the payments, everything.”

Sharon’s composure cracked piece by piece. Your stomach tightened watching the shift happen in real time.

“You paid him?” she whispered.

“I protected my family.”

Her eyes flickered toward you instantly, and this time the word seemed to snap something inside her.

“No!” she shouted, the sound echoed through the house violently enough to make you flinch.

“You don’t get to do this to me, James!” she screamed, tears suddenly filling her eyes. “After all those years!” Sharon laughed again, louder this time, almost hysterical. “Oh my God,” she muttered. “She really got into your head.”

“Stop,” Bucky said sharply.

“You used to love me!” Sharon shouted. “You followed me everywhere! Everyone knew it!”

“I had a crush, Sharon, and then I met my wife, and I understood what loving someone really means.” Bucky snapped back.

The room went still. For a second, Sharon just stared at him, then her face twisted.

“You ruined everything!” she screamed suddenly, pointing directly at you.

Bucky immediately moved in front of you. “Don’t point at her.”

“She took you from me!”

“No,” Bucky said firmly. “I chose her.”

Sharon let out a broken sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

“You’re lying,” she whispered. “You’re just saying that because she trapped you.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Trapped him?”

“The baby,” Sharon spat bitterly, eyes dropping toward your stomach. “You think I’m stupid? You knew he was slipping away, so you got pregnant.”

Bucky’s entire body tensed instantly.“That’s enough.”

But Sharon was spiraling now. “No!” she screamed again. “She always does this! She plays sweet and innocent while ruining everything around her!

“Sharon—”

“You think he loves you?” she snapped at you viciously. “He did love me first!”

“And then he stopped,” you replied quietly.

“You bitch!” Sharon lunged forward suddenly.

Everything happened too fast after that. Bucky caught her arm before she could reach you, shoving her back enough to put distance between you.

“Don’t touch her!” he barked.

Sharon stumbled, knocking a lamp sideways as it crashed onto the floor while May screamed somewhere behind you.

“Get out,” Bucky growled.

“You can’t do this to me!” she shouted. “You owe me!”

“I owe you nothing.”

“You loved me!”

“I didn’t,” Bucky snapped, years of realization finally pouring out at once. Sharon stared at him as if he had shot her, then her expression changed again.

“If I can’t have you,” she whispered, “she shouldn’t either.”

Your blood ran cold. I mean, you always knew there was something wrong with her, but you didn't know she could go this far. Bucky moved instantly, stepping fully between you and Sharon.

“Go with May and call the police,” he said without taking his eyes off her.

“James—”

“Now.”

Your hands shook as you grabbed your phone, Sharon noticed immediately.

“No,” she said, panic flashing across her face. “No, don’t you dare.”

You backed away while dialing. Sharon’s breathing became erratic again.

“You’re really choosing her,” she whispered.

“Yes,” Bucky answered without hesitation.

Sharon looked at him for one long, devastating second. “ You think she’ll ever trust you again?” she muttered. Bucky didn’t move.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s how love works.” That seemed to extinguish something in her.

By the time the police arrived minutes later, Sharon was pacing near the entrance, muttering to herself while Bucky refused to leave your side for even a second.

And when Sharon finally looked back at him while they escorted her out, Bucky didn’t look her back, instead his gaze and hands were focused on you, on your face, comforting you.

And he didn’t hesitate, didn’t even look tempted to, he stayed with you.

-------

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You took the phone back. “Why do you sound like you’re reviewing storm projections?”

“I’m trying to understand the interface.”

“You are not allowed to say interface while we’re trying for a baby.”

He looked offended. “It has an interface.”

“Jack.”

He set the phone down immediately. “Right. Sorry.”

You laughed and climbed into his lap, kissing the apology off his mouth before he could turn trying into a continuing medical education module.

There were also hard moments. The first time your period came, you thought you would be fine.

You had told yourself not to expect anything. You had been trying for one month. One. That was nothing. Rationally, you knew that.

Your body did not care about rationality. You found out at work, between a debrief and a meeting, in the staff bathroom with fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

For a second, you just stared. Then you washed your hands, went back out, and ran a systems meeting so efficiently that Robby complimented your clarity.

Afterward, you went into the supply closet and cried silently behind a shelf of sterile gauze. Jack found you because he always found you now.

He opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.

You wiped your face quickly.“I’m fine.”

He gave you a look. You sighed. “I got my period.”

His expression softened. “Oh, sweetheart.”

“It’s stupid. It was the first month.”

“It’s not stupid.”

“It is. I knew it probably wouldn’t happen right away.”

“Knowing doesn’t stop disappointment.” He pulled you into his arms.

“I feel ridiculous.”

“You’re not.”

“I wasn’t even pregnant.”

“I know.”

“So why does it feel like losing something?”

Jack was quiet for a second. Then he said, “Because hope starts before proof.”

You cried harder.

He held you in the supply closet while people walked past outside, while your body grieved something that had only existed as a maybe.

That night, he ordered Thai food, put your heating pad in the bed, and did not say anything aggressively cheerful. He just climbed in beside you, pulled you close, and said, “We can be sad tonight and okay tomorrow.”

You pressed your face into his chest. “What if I’m sad tomorrow too?”

“Then we’ll be sad tomorrow.”

“What if this takes months?”

“Then it takes months.”

“What if it never happens?”

His arms tightened. “Then we grieve that. And we keep loving each other.”

You closed your eyes.

“Say the enough thing.”

His lips brushed your hair. “You and me are enough.”

You breathed.

“Again.”

“You and me are enough.” 

You fell asleep to the sound of his voice.

The second month was easier. Not because you cared less. Because you knew now that disappointment could come, and you would survive it.

Jack started leaving small things around the house that made you want to cry in a good way.

A new box of tea you liked. A note on the bathroom mirror that said Doctor’s appointment Thursday, not scary alone. A sticky note on the fertility app printout you had abandoned on the counter that said No folder. I listened.

You laughed so hard you had to sit down.

At work, he became even more ridiculous.

He did not hover, per se. But he began appearing at suspiciously convenient moments. With water. With snacks. With your jacket. With the headache medicine you had forgotten in your desk.

Dana noticed. “You two trying to populate my ED?” she asked one afternoon.

You nearly dropped your coffee.“Dana.”

Jack, standing beside you, went completely still.

Dana looked between you. “Oh, please. I am not asking for details. I’m saying if you get pregnant, I’m going to need a warning before he becomes medically unbearable.”

Jack frowned. “I would not.”

You and Dana both looked at him.

He sighed. “I would try not to.”

Dana pointed at you. “See?”

You covered your face.

Santos appeared out of nowhere. “Are we talking about a baby?”

“No,” you and Jack said together.

She gasped. “That was too synchronized. Now I know.”

Jack muttered, “I’m transferring.”

Dana said, “No one is transferring. Everyone is going back to work.”

Trinity whispered to you, “For what it’s worth, your hypothetical baby would have incredible cheekbones.”

You stared.

Jack said, “Santos.” She fled.

You started laughing.

Jack looked at you, exasperated and soft. “What?”

“You’re going to be so bad at keeping this quiet if it happens.”

He blinked. “When,” he said.

Your laughter faded. “What?”

He seemed to realize what he had said. Then, very carefully, “If. When. Whatever word doesn’t make you want to throw something.”

You reached for his hand briefly, hidden behind the counter. “When is okay today,” you whispered.

His face softened. “Okay.”

Dana yelled from the desk, “I can see you holding hands.”

You dropped his hand. Jack sighed. The Pitt kept noticing. You kept letting it.

The positive test happened on a rainy Sunday morning. Because apparently, all major emotional developments in your life required rain.

You woke up before Jack, which rarely happened. At first, you didn’t know why. Then you remembered.

You were late. Not very late. Late enough. You had told yourself you would wait another day. Then another. Maybe a week. Maybe until you could no longer deny it. Maybe until the universe personally mailed you confirmation.

You slipped out of bed at six-thirty and went to the bathroom with the test hidden in your sweatshirt pocket like contraband. Your hands shook. You took it.

Set it on the counter. Washed your hands. Did not look.

Looked.Looked away. Looked again.

Two lines.

For a second, your brain went silent.

Not happy. Not scared. Just Blank. Then your heart started pounding so hard you had to sit on the closed toilet seat.

Two lines. You covered your mouth. The bathroom door was cracked.

From the bedroom, Jack stirred. You heard the mattress shift.

Then his voice, rough with sleep. “Sweetheart?”

You couldn’t answer. He was up instantly. The door opened wider.

Jack stood there in sweatpants and a T-shirt, hair messy, eyes already alert.

“What’s wrong?”

You looked at him. Then at the counter. Jack followed your gaze.

“Is that…”

You nodded. He stepped into the bathroom slowly, like the floor might break beneath him.

He picked up the test.

You watched his face. Joy appeared first. Huge and unguarded. Then fear crashed into it. Then joy again. Then something so tender you started crying before he said a word.

Jack lowered himself to his knees in front of you.

“Hey,” he whispered.

You laughed through tears. “Hi.”

His hands found yours. “You’re pregnant?”

You nodded, crying harder. “I think so.”

His eyes filled.

“We’ll call the doctor.”

You laughed wetly.“Jack.”

“I know, I know. Not the first thing.”

“It can be the first thing.”

He squeezed your hands. “You’re pregnant,” he said again, like he needed to hear it in his own voice.

“I’m pregnant.”

His lip quivered as his nostrils flared, and the muscles around his eyes and forehead pinched together.

You touched his cheek.

He turned his face into your palm and kissed it.

“I’m happy,” you whispered. “And terrified.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t want to tell everyone.”

“We won’t.”

“I want to tell my mom.”

“Okay.”

“And my dad. He’ll be awful.”

“He will be unbearable.”

“He’s going to ask if he can be called Coach.”

“He already has a campaign.”

You laughed. Then sobbed.

Jack pulled you gently forward into his arms. You slid off the toilet seat and onto the bathroom floor with him, both of you laughing and crying like ridiculous people beside the sink.

He held you for a long time.

The test sat on the counter. Two lines. Tiny and enormous.

Eventually, Jack whispered, “Can I say something doctor-y?”

You sniffed. “One thing.”

“We confirm with your OB. and we take it one appointment at a time.”

You nodded against him. 

“Partner thing?” he asked.

You pulled back.

His eyes were wet and warm. “I love you,” he said.

“That was better than the doctor thing.”

“I thought so.”

You kissed him there on the bathroom floor, rain tapping against the window, the house quiet around you, the yellow room waiting down the hall.

Not fixed or safe from fear but full of possibility.

Your father cried.

You had not expected that.

You expected shouting. Jokes. A wildly inappropriate comment that would make your mother slap his arm. A declaration that the baby would call him Coach. Maybe a threat toward Jack, just for tradition.

Instead, when you told your parents that afternoon, your father stared at you.

Then at Jack.

Then back at you.

His eyes filled.

“Oh,” he said.

Just that.

Oh.

Your mother started crying immediately, which surprised no one.

You sat on the couch beside Jack, your hands clasped so tightly in your lap that he gently covered them with one of his.

Your father looked at his hand over yours.

Then at Jack.

His voice came out rough.

“You scared?”

Jack answered honestly.

“Yes.”

Your father nodded.

“Good.”

Your mother looked at him. “Ben.”

“What? Means he understands the assignment.”

You laughed through tears.

Your father stood slowly, still moving with care since the surgery, and came over to you.

You stood too.

He hugged you.

Hard.

For a second, you were a little girl again, face pressed into your father’s chest, his hand cupping the back of your head.

“My baby’s having a baby,” he whispered.

You cried then.

“Dad.”

“I know. I’m being sentimental. Don’t get used to it.”

You laughed, watery.

He pulled back and looked at you seriously.

“One day at a time.”

You nodded.

“I know.”

“No, I mean it. Don’t live six months ahead in fear. You’ll miss today.”

Your throat tightened.

Jack’s hand touched your back.

Your father looked at Jack.

“And you.”

Jack straightened slightly.

“Yes, sir?”

“You don’t get weird.”

You laughed.

Jack blinked. “Define weird.”

“Hovering. Fussing. Reading too much. Making charts.”

You slowly turned to Jack.

He avoided your gaze.

Your father pointed. “See? Guilty.”

Jack sighed. “There is one chart.”

“Jack.”

“It’s not a chart. It’s more of a document.”

Your mother covered her mouth.

You stared at him.

“When did you make a document?”

“This morning.”

“Jack.”

“It has appointment dates, questions, and emergency contacts.”

Your father groaned. “Kiddo, you picked a nerd.”

“You’re just figuring that out?” you asked.

Jack looked offended.

Your mother hugged him next.

He froze, then softened.

“We’re happy for you,” she whispered.

Jack closed his eyes briefly.

“Thank you.”

Your father clapped him on the shoulder.

“If the kid calls me Coach, I’ll start a college fund.”

You pointed at him.

“No.”

He shrugged. “Long game.”

That evening, after your parents left, you and Jack stood in the yellow room.

No one had said nursery.

Not yet.

But the word hovered.

You stood in the doorway, hand resting lightly over your stomach even though there was nothing to feel yet.

Jack stood behind you.

“Too soon?” he asked.

You shook your head.

“No.”

“Too much?”

“Yes.”

He kissed your temple.

“We can close the door.”

You looked at the rocking chair.

The rug.

The plant.

The soft lamp.

The room that had held grief long enough to become gentle around the edges.

“No,” you whispered. “Leave it open.”

Jack’s arms came around you from behind.

His hands rested over yours.

Together, you stood there.

The first appointment was two weeks later.

You almost threw up before leaving the house.

Not from pregnancy but from fear.

Jack found you sitting on the edge of the bed with your shoes untied.

He crouched in front of you.

“Talk to me.”

You stared at your sneakers.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Okay.”

“I want to go.”

“Okay.”

“I hate this.”

“I know.”

“I’m scared they’ll tell us there’s nothing there.”

Jack’s face tightened with pain.

He took your hands.

“I’m scared too.”

You looked at him.

His eyes were steady.

Not calm exactly.

Steady.

“But we’re going,” he said softly. “And whatever happens, we leave together.”

Your chin trembled.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

At the doctor’s office, you gripped his hand so tightly he probably lost circulation.

He did not complain.

The ultrasound room was too familiar.

That was the worst part.

The dim lighting. The machine. The paper on the exam table. The soft professional voice of the tech.

Your breathing went shallow.

Jack leaned close.

“Look at me.”

You did.

“I’m here.”

You nodded.

The tech began.

Time slowed.

You stared at Jack instead of the screen.

He watched your face, not the monitor, because he had asked you in the car what you wanted and you had said, “Don’t look before I’m ready.”

So he didn’t.

The tech was quiet.

Too quiet?

Normal quiet?

Medical quiet?

Your panic spiked.

Jack’s hand tightened.

Then the tech smiled.

“There it is.”

You stopped breathing.

Jack turned his head slowly.

You looked too.

A tiny flicker.

So small.

So impossible.

The tech adjusted the volume.

And then you heard it.

Fast.

Steady.

A heartbeat.

You made a sound you did not recognize.

Jack’s hand flew to his mouth.

His eyes filled instantly.

The tech said something about measurements, about dates, about everything looking appropriate so far.

So far.

You heard that part.

You accepted it.

So far was not forever.

But it was today.

Jack leaned down and kissed your forehead, his tears falling into your hair.

You cried too.

Not because fear vanished.

It didn’t.

But because something else had arrived beside it.

Afterward, in the car, neither of you moved for a long time.

Jack held the ultrasound picture like it was made of glass.

You looked at him.

He looked completely undone.

“You okay?” you asked.

He laughed once, wet and disbelieving.

“No.”

You smiled through tears.

“Me neither.”

He touched the tiny image with one finger.

“Hi,” he whispered.

Your heart cracked open.

You leaned your head on his shoulder.

“Don’t make me cry again.”

“I can’t help it.”

“You’re going to be unbearable.”

“Yes.”

You laughed.

He kissed your hair.

When you got home, you put the ultrasound picture in the yellow room.

Just tucked gently into the notebook.

Besides the memories.

Besides the grief.

Besides the hope.

By the time The Pitt found out, Dana already knew. You suspected your father told her.

He denied it. Badly.

“I don’t even have Dana’s number,” he said over the phone.

“She texted you last week about low-sodium recipes.”

“That was professional.”

“You are not her patient.”

“I’m a community member.”

“Dad.”

“Fine. Maybe I implied.”

“You implied my pregnancy?”

“I said Jack looked like a man about to faint from happiness and fear. She connected dots.”

You closed your eyes.

“I cannot believe you.”

“Sure you can.”

At work, Dana cornered you in the medication room.

Not aggressively. She just appeared. “You okay?”

You smiled faintly. “Yeah.”

She looked at your face.

Then at your still-flat stomach. Then back at your face.

Her eyes softened. “You sure?”

Your throat tightened. “Today, yes.”

“Good answer.”

You exhaled.

“I’m scared.”

“I figured.”

“Happy too.”

“I figured that also.”

“Jack is being weird.”

Dana snorted.

“Jack was weird before.”

“He made a document.”

“Of course he did.”

“And he keeps pretending not to check if I’m nauseous.”

“Is he hovering?”

“A little.”

“Do you want me to scare him?”

You laughed. “Maybe later.”

Dana pulled you into a hug. “Happy for you, honey,” she murmured.

You closed your eyes. “Thank you.”

When you stepped out, Trinity was standing there. Crying.

You stared. “Trinity.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just saw Dana hug you and I inferred.”

“You inferred tears?”

“I’m emotionally gifted.”

Dana pointed down the hall. “Move.”

She sniffed. “Congratulations, probably.”

You laughed.

“Thank you, probably.”

Jack found out that Dana knew when she walked up to him at the board and said, “Do not become insufferable.”

He froze.

You were across the station, watching.

Robby looked up from a chart.

Jack said carefully, “About what?”

Dana stared at him.

Jack sighed. “I’ll try.”

“No caffeine lectures. No food policing. No dramatic hovering. If she needs something, she’ll ask. If she doesn’t ask, you can offer like a normal person.”

Jack nodded seriously.

Robby looked between them.

Then at you.

Then back at Jack.

His face softened.

“Oh,” Robby said.

Jack closed his eyes.

Dana muttered, “This department is a sieve.”

Robby came over later, when you were pretending to organize files.

“Congratulations,” he said quietly.

You looked up. “Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?”

You considered lying.

Then didn’t.

“Terrified.”

He nodded. “That sounds right.”

“And happy.”

“That also sounds right.”

You looked down.

“Does it get easier? Waiting for the other shoe to drop?”

Robby was quiet for a moment.

Then he said, “Maybe not easier. But you get better at noticing there are shoes still on the ground.”

You looked at him.

He shrugged.

“It’s not all falling.”

Your eyes burned.

“Thank you.”

He nodded once and left before the emotion could get too large.

Very Robby.

Very kind.

At home, Jack became soft in ways that made you ache.

He talked to your stomach before there was anything to talk to.

Just small things.

“Your mother is pretending she’s not tired,” he murmured. “She is lying.”

You smiled. “Were you tattling on me to the embryo?”

“Yes.”

“Unbelievable.”

“They deserve to know.”

“They are the size of a blueberry.”

“And yet possibly more reasonable than you.”

You gasped.

He stood quickly, hands going to your waist. “Careful.”

“I gasped, Jack. I didn’t collapse.”

“I’m adjusting.”

“You’re hovering.”

“I’m improving at a glacial pace.”

You laughed and leaned into him.

He kissed your forehead. “How do you feel?”

You took inventory.

A little nauseous. A little tired. A little scared. Very loved.

“Okay,” you said. “Actually okay.”

Jack smiled. “Good.”

At night, you lay in bed with his hand resting lightly over your stomach.

Not possessive. Not protective in a suffocating way.

Sometimes you talked about names.

Your father had submitted several terrible suggestions.

“Ben Junior works regardless of gender,” he had texted.

You replied, Absolutely not.

He replied, Coach Junior?

Jack had laughed for a full minute.

Your mother suggested family names gently, then immediately said there was no pressure. Dana claimed the child should be named after her if they wanted “survival instincts.” Santos suggested “something iconic.” Whitaker suggested “Alex” and then looked confused when everyone stared at him because it was actually normal.

One night, you were curled against Jack’s side, his fingers tracing slow circles over your hip.

“What if it’s a girl?” you whispered.

His hand stilled.

You felt the grief enter. Just quietly, like it still had a key.

Jack kissed your hair. “Then she’s a girl.”

You nodded. “What if that’s hard?”

“It will be.”

You closed your eyes.

“But she won’t be her,” he said gently.

“I know.”

“And she won’t replace her.”

“I know.”

“But we can love both.”

Jack pulled you closer. “We can love both,” he whispered again.

You cried softly into his shirt. He held you until the fear passed.

The yellow room changed slowly.

At twelve weeks, after another appointment where the heartbeat was strong and you cried in the car afterward because relief had become its own kind of exhaustion, you and Jack stood in the doorway.

“I think we can move the boxes,” you said.

Jack looked at you. “The old crib boxes?”

You nodded.

“Where?”

“The attic, maybe.”

His expression softened. “Okay.”

You both carried the boxes together.

Halfway up the attic stairs, Jack said, “I am carrying one pillow.”

“It’s the principle.”

“You are one warning away from being reported to Dana.”

He shut up immediately.

Afterward, the room looked too empty. You sat on the rug and cried. 

Jack sat beside you.

“I thought empty would feel better,” you said.

He took your hand.

“Maybe it will later.”

“Maybe.”

You leaned into him.

He kissed your temple.

The next week, your mother brought over a tiny blanket.

“I know it’s early,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to keep it out.”

You touched the fabric.

Your eyes filled. “It’s beautiful.”

Jack walked into the room, saw both of you crying over a blanket, and immediately backed up.

“No,” you said. “Come here.”

He came.

Your mother handed him the blanket.

“Oh,” he whispered.

Your mother touched his arm. “You okay?”

He nodded.

Eventually, you put the blanket over the rocking chair.

At sixteen weeks, your father came over with a small wooden stool.

He had made it himself.

“It’s for the kid,” he said gruffly.

You stared at it. The legs were uneven. Jack crouched to inspect it.

Your father pointed at him. “Don’t say a word, porch boy.”

Jack stood. “It’s perfect.”

Your father narrowed his eyes. “You mocking me?”

“No, sir.”

You laughed and cried and hugged your dad so tightly he complained about his ribs.

The stool went beside the bookshelf.

At twenty weeks, you found out. A girl. You went quiet when the tech said it. Jack’s hand tightened around yours.

On the screen, she moved, small and stubborn and real.

A daughter. Not the daughter you lost. Another daughter. A new person. A new love. A new terror.

In the parking lot, Jack looked wrecked.

You wiped your face. “Say something.”

He laughed once, shaking his head. “She’s…”

“I know.”

“She’s real.”

“I know.”

“She’s a girl.”

“I know.”

He turned to you, eyes full. “Are you okay?”

You nodded. Then shook your head. Then laughed. “I don’t know.”

He smiled through tears. “Me neither.”

You leaned across the console and kissed him.

Later, you told your parents.

Your mother sobbed.

Your father sat down hard and said, “A girl?”

You nodded.

He wiped his eyes quickly. “Good,” he said.

“Good?”

“She’ll need someone to teach her how to properly inspect a porch railing.”

Jack groaned.

You laughed.

The yellow room became hers after that.

Not completely.

It still held the notebook. Still held the first grief. Still held the cream blanket and the uneven stool and all the love that had nowhere else to go.

But it also held new things.

A dresser Jack assembled while wearing reading glasses and an expression of intense hostility.

A stack of children’s books from Robby, who claimed they were “extras” but had clearly chosen them carefully.

A tiny Pitt onesie from Dana with a note that said, Don’t tell anyone I bought this.

A Steelers bib from your father that said Coach’s Favorite.

You tried to throw it away. Jack rescued it.

One night, late in the pregnancy, you found Jack in the yellow room.

He was sitting in the rocking chair, one hand resting on the arm, the other holding the notebook.

You stood in the doorway, one hand under your belly.

“She kicking?” he asked without looking up.

“Like she’s trying to escape.”

His mouth softened. “That’s your side.”

“My side?”

“Dramatic.”

“She has your sleep schedule.”

“Then we’re doomed.”

You walked in slowly.

Jack closed the notebook and looked up at you.

His eyes were soft but wet.

“You okay?” you asked.

He nodded.

“Fast nod.”

His mouth twitched.

You came closer.

He reached for your hand and pulled you gently down until you were sitting sideways in his lap, as much as your belly allowed.

The rocking chair creaked.

You both froze.

Jack frowned. “I can fix that.”

“No.”

“But—”

“No structural repairs while I’m pregnant. I need peace.”

He sighed.

You rested your head against his shoulder. “What were you reading?”

“The first page.”

You knew which one.

The page with her. The baby you lost.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes,” Jack said.

You closed your eyes.

Then he added, “But less alone.”

You nodded.

His hand moved to your belly.

The baby kicked.

Jack’s breath caught.

Every time.

As if he had not felt it dozens of times. As if every movement was the first proof of a miracle.

“Hi,” he whispered.

You smiled. “She knows your voice.”

“She probably knows your father’s better. He yells.”

You laughed.

Jack’s hand stayed warm over your stomach.

“I’m scared,” he said.

You lifted your head.

Jack looked at your belly, not you.

“Still?” you asked.

“Yes.”

“About the birth?”

“Yes.”

“About after?”

“Yes.”

“About becoming my dad’s full-time victim?”

“Constantly.”

You smiled softly.

He looked up at you. “I’m also happy,” he said.

“I know.”

“I didn’t know it could be both this much.”

Your chest warmed.

“Me neither.”

His thumb moved slowly over your stomach.

“I keep thinking about when you moved back in,” he said. “How scared we were of the house.”

“We were right to be.”

“Yeah.”

“But look at it now.”

You both looked around.

The soft lamp. The books. The blanket. The crib, finally assembled. The uneven stool.

The room had not forgotten.

It had grown.

Jack’s voice was low.

“It’s a good room.”

Your eyes filled.

“It is.”

He kissed your shoulder.

“You made it good.”

You shook your head.

“We did.”

His eyes met yours.

The baby kicked again, harder.

You winced.

Jack immediately looked alarmed. “You okay?”

“She just assaulted me.”

He lowered his face closer to your belly. “Be nice to your mother.”

She kicked again.

You laughed.

Jack looked personally betrayed. “She’s already not listening.”

“Definitely your daughter.”

“Our daughter,” he whispered.

The words filled the room.

Our daughter.

You touched his cheek.

“Our daughter.”

Jack’s eyes glistened.

You kissed him softly.

For a while, you stayed there in the rocking chair, the three of you tucked inside the room that had once been too painful to enter.

Jack became completely insufferable around month seven.

Dana had predicted it.

She was furious to be right.

“You are not triaging her from across the department,” she snapped one afternoon after Jack looked over for the eighth time in ten minutes.

Jack frowned. “I’m not.”

“You checked her gait.”

“She shifted weird.”

“She is pregnant, not secretly hemorrhaging.”

You looked up from your desk. “I’m right here.”

Dana pointed at you. “And you. Sit down.”

“I am sitting.”

“Emotionally sit.”

Santos whispered, “This is the best season of this department.”

Robby passed by, glanced at Jack, and said, “You’re hovering.”

Jack looked betrayed. “You too?”

“Yes.”

You smiled down at your paperwork.

Jack came over later, chastened, holding a cup of water.

“I know,” he said before you could speak.

“You know what?”

“I’m hovering.”

“You are.”

“I’m trying not to.”

“You’re failing.”

“Yes.”

You took the water. He stood there, looking guilty and sweet and exhausted.

Your heart softened. “You can worry,” you said.

His eyes lifted.

“You just can’t make it my full-time job to reassure you.”

He nodded. “That’s fair.”

“And if I tell you I’m okay, you have to believe me unless there is actual evidence.”

“What counts as evidence?”

“Jack.”

“Right. Sorry.”

You took his hand under the desk.

His shoulders eased.

“I know this is scary for you too,” you said.

His thumb brushed yours. “Yeah.”

“I don’t forget that.”

His face softened. “Thank you.”

“But if you check my gait again, I’m telling my dad.”

Jack paled slightly. “You wouldn’t.”

“I absolutely would.”

“You fight dirty.”

“I learned from Dana.”

Across the department, Dana yelled, “Correct.”

You laughed. Jack looked helplessly, stupidly happy.

The whole ED saw. No one even pretended not to.

The night before your scheduled induction, your father came over for dinner.

So did your mother. So did Dana, somehow. And Robby. And Trinity. And McKay. And Whitaker, who brought a balloon that said Get Well Soon because he panicked at the store.

You stared at it.

Whitaker said, “Birth is kind of medical.”

Dana took the balloon from him. “Go sit down.”

The house was full.

Your father sat at the dining table wearing his Steelers cap, telling Trinity that no baby of his was calling him Grandpa.

Trinity said, “What if she wants to?”

“She can want better.”

Your mother was in the kitchen, crying into salad for no reason other than becoming a grandmother the next day.

Robby stood near the bookshelf, looking at the baby books he had given you and pretending not to be pleased that they were displayed.

Jack was in the doorway, watching the chaos.

You came up beside him. “You okay?”

He nodded.

“Fast nod.”

He smiled faintly. “I’m terrified.”

“Me too.”

“Happy?”

You leaned into his side. “So happy.”

He wrapped an arm around you carefully.

Your father looked up from the table.

“Hey, no getting emotional over there. Save it for tomorrow.”

You pointed at him. “You are going to cry the second you see her.”

“No, I’m not.”

Your mother called from the kitchen, “Yes, he is.”

Jack murmured, “He is.”

Your father pointed at Jack. “You stay out of this, Jackie.”

Everyone laughed.

Later, after everyone left, the house was quiet again.

You stood in the yellow room with Jack.

The hospital bag was by the door.

The crib was ready. “I can’t believe we’re here.”

Jack came behind you, arms around your waist, hands resting under your belly. “Yeah.”

“I’m scared something will still go wrong.”

His chin rested on your shoulder. “I know.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

“You don’t have to be fearless.”

You smiled faintly.

“That sounds familiar.”

“Smart person told me that.”

You leaned back against him. “She’s going to be here tomorrow.”

Jack’s hands tightened gently.

“Our daughter.”

“Our daughter.”

The room was quiet. Then Jack said, “I’m going to marry you again.”

You froze.

Jack’s body went still behind yours.

“That was not supposed to come out like that.”

You slowly turned in his arms. “What?”

His face had gone red. “I had a plan.”

“You had a plan?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God.”

“Not tonight. Obviously not tonight. You are being induced tomorrow. I’m not insane.”

“You just said, ‘I’m going to marry you again.’”

“I know.”

“Like a threat.”

“It wasn’t a threat.”

“It sounded a little like a medical diagnosis.”

Jack closed his eyes.“I wanted it to be romantic.”

You started laughing.

He opened his eyes, pained. “Please don’t laugh.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I was going to wait.”

“Until when?”

“After she was born. After things settled.”

You gave him a look.

He sighed. “I know. Things won’t settle.”

“No.”

“I was going to ask properly.”

Your eyes filled. “Jack.”

He looked down. “I don’t want to rush you.”

“You’re not.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m asking because of the baby.”

“I don’t.”

His eyes lifted.

You touched his face. “Ask me later,” you whispered.

His breath caught. “Yeah?”

“Not tonight.”

“No.”

“And not in front of Dana.”

“Never.”

“And not while I’m in labor.”

“I had ruled that out.”

“Good.”

You leaned up and kissed him. When you pulled back, you smiled. “But yes.”

His brows pulled together.

“Yes?”

“To later.”

His face softened so completely you almost cried. “To later,” he whispered.

The baby kicked between you.

Jack laughed, wet and stunned.

You looked down. “She approves.”

“She has excellent judgment.”

“She’s not even born and you’re already biased.”

“Completely.”

You stood there together in the yellow room on the last night before everything changed again.

This time, change did not feel like a threat.

It felt like a door opening.

In the morning, the Pitt was waiting. Not the ED this time. Labor and delivery.

Jack carried the bag. Your mother carried snacks.

Your father carried nothing because he had been banned from “helping” after attempting to repack the hospital bag with a flashlight and duct tape.

Dana texted at six-fifteen.

Dana: Don’t let him annoy the nurses. Dana: I mean Jack. Dana: Also your father. Dana: Actually all men.

Trinity texted:

Trinity: NO PRESSURE, BUT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BABY IN PITTSBURGH.

Robby texted:

Robby: Thinking of you both. One step at a time.

You showed Jack. He smiled at Robby’s text the longest.

During intake, Jack was calm. You reached for his hand. “Hey.”

He looked at you.

“You can be scared.”

His face softened. “I am.”

“Good.”

“But I’m here.”

You squeezed his hand. “I know.”

Labor was long, messy, and exhausting.

There were moments when you cried because you were scared. Moments when you snapped at Jack for breathing too loudly. Moments when he fed you ice chips with the solemnity of a man performing a sacred ritual. Moments when your mother cried in the corner, and your father was exiled to the waiting room because he kept asking too many questions.

Jack stayed.

Through every contraction.

Every fear.

Every time your eyes searched his for reassurance, he could not guarantee.

He did not tell you everything was fine.

He said, “I’m here.”

He said, “Breathe with me.”

He said, “You’re doing it.”

He said, “I love you.”

And when the baby finally cried, the sound cracked the world open.

You sobbed.

Jack sobbed.

The nurse placed her on your chest, tiny and furious and real, and for one second, you could not move.

Then your hands came around her. “Oh,” you whispered.

Jack’s face was beside yours, wet with tears, completely undone.

“She’s here,” he said.

Your daughter cried against you.

You looked at Jack. He looked at you.

Every grief in the room remained. But something new had arrived.

Jack touched one tiny foot with shaking fingers. “Hi,” he whispered.

You laughed through tears. “You’ve been waiting to say that.”

“All my life,” he said.

The baby quieted against your chest.

Jack kissed your forehead. Then yours. Then hers.

In the waiting room, your father was definitely crying.

You knew before anyone told you.

When your father met her, he did cry. Immediately.

He walked into the room with your mother, took one look at the baby in Jack’s arms, and stopped.

His face collapsed.

“Oh, come on,” you whispered from the bed, exhausted and amused.

Your father wiped his eyes. “I have allergies.”

Your mother sobbed openly.

Jack looked down at the baby.

“Do you want to hold her?” he asked.

Your father looked terrified.

Jack carefully placed the baby in his arms.

Your father looked down at her like she had personally rearranged the universe.

“Hi,” he whispered. His voice broke.

You cried again.

You were very tired of crying, but apparently that was your life now.

Your father touched one tiny hand.

“I’m Coach,” he whispered.

“Dad,” you warned weakly.

He looked at Jack. “She likes it.”

Jack, wisely, said nothing.

Your mother kissed your forehead. “You did so good.”

You looked at Jack. “We did.”

Jack’s eyes filled again.

Your father looked down at the baby.

Then at Jack. Then at you.

“She’s perfect,” he said.

A few hours later, after everyone left and the room was quiet, Jack sat beside your bed with the baby asleep against his chest.

He was wearing his glasses, hair messy, face exhausted, one large hand covering nearly her entire back.

You watched him.

He looked up.

“What?”

“You’re a dad.” 

His face softened. “Yeah.”

“How does it feel?”

He looked down at her.

Then back at you. “Like being terrified is worth it.”

Your eyes filled.

He stood carefully and came closer.

You shifted over slightly, and he sat beside you on the bed, baby between you.

Your daughter made a tiny sound in her sleep.

Jack kissed your temple. “You and me are enough,” he whispered.

You looked at your daughter.

Then at him.

“And now there’s more.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Now there’s more.”

The life that had grown out of grief without erasing it.

You rested your head against Jack’s shoulder.

He rested his cheek against your hair.

Your daughter slept between you.

And for once, the quiet did not feel like something waiting to break.

This wasn’t fair. Even with the powers most gods craved, he couldn’t protect you from this. What good was all this power if he couldn’t keep you? The best parts of you, the dark and wretched—all of it, everything—belonged to him. He loved the darkest shades of you, the brightest, and every color in between. 

When you were consumed in an unholy flame, one only he could ever reach beyond, he was housed by your warmth—reborn into something more glorious than the last. 

When had you fallen so cold? 

You had ascended onto him like nightfall, only to ignite and burn his world to ash. Yet, you sparked something within him in the echo of oblivion—a fire born of devotion was marred to his heart. 

He wasn’t going to let you off that easy. Death wouldn’t be enough for you to escape him. 

”You don’t get to leave me,” he whispers against the shell of your ear. “You’re not going anywhere. Not from me.” 

It was a rare moment of wakefulness. Your eyes flutter open, a dopey smile gracing your lips. You say his name. “Satoru,” you murmur. ”what are you talking about?”

He brushes the hair from your neck, kissing your cold skin. “I’m talking about you, sweets,” he moves up, kissing your cheek. “I need you to get better. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

You take in a long, shuddering breath. You couldn’t deny what you said now when you felt it in your bones. “I won’t leave,” you promise him gently, breathing slowly as sleep tugs at the corners of your consciousness. “Where else would I go?”

He takes time off from work shortly after. Well, he more or less just stopped going to work. He kept your condition close like a secret. Outside of the kids, Principal Yaga, and Nanami, no one knew what happened to you, and he would keep it that way. He didn’t need the higher-ups catching wind of this. 

It was just a precaution, his way of protecting you when you couldn’t protect yourself. You had enemies just as much as he did. He thinks he’d break the world in two if they ever touched you. 

However, Gojo couldn’t just wait and do nothing. He had to keep you comfortable, keep you warm. After cranking up the central heat and lighting a fire, he noticed you responded positively. It was far from comfortable for him, but it wasn’t about him, even if, most nights, sweat beaded on his chest and forehead. It was about your recovery and giving your body what it desperately needed. Heat. A heat, he fears, even as he eases you into a tub of the hottest water he could get from the faucet in his master bathroom, wasn’t enough. 

However, this was a start in the right direction. Your eyes fluttered open as your body sank into the steaming water. “This is nice,” you utter. “Really nice…”

“Hm, good,” Satoru says, grabbing the shampoo bottle. “Glad to be of service.”

You hum pleasantly as he starts massaging shampoo into your hair. “How many days has it been, Satoru?”

“Not sure what you mean, sweets.”

“Satoru,” you sigh softly. “How many days since the incident?” 

He pauses for a moment before his fingers continue rubbing the suds into your hair. “Fifteen days.”

“And yet, I don’t have a lick of cursed energy…”

“Hey, easy there,” he wipes the subs that threaten to fall into your eyes with his hands before grabbing your face and pinching your cheeks together. Just as you were about to swat him away, he kissed the pout off your face with one long smooch. “Take it easy, grumpypants. You’re still recovering.”

“Yeah, but for how long,” you mumble. “It’s never taken me this long to recover my cursed energy before. I just– I don’t feel the same.” Satoru takes a deep breath, watching as you stare down at the water, your fingers mindlessly fiddling with the necklace around your neck. “You shouldn’t have to be taking care of me like this or taking time off from work. They need you, the kids need you–”

“You need me,” he gently corrects. “The kids are fine, and Nanami has been covering for me.”

“Yeah, but–”

“You act like this isn’t something you’d do for me if I needed you.”

You look at him, eyes misting over. You reach for him, your arms wrapping around his neck. He didn’t care if he got wet as he held you, his hands rubbing softly at your damp back. “I really love you,” you tell him, burying your head into his neck. “I really do. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, silly girl. I’m here. I’m with you.”

-

Weeks pass, and things only seem to get worse. 

You could hear their whispers, see their pitiful glances, and see how they all tiptoed around you. It made you furious. It wasn’t a loud, fiery rage that once fueled you. It was quiet and insidious—burning cold and cutting deeper than any wound you’ve experienced. You hated their pity, their careful steps, and how they looked at you as if you were a ghost. 

You had once been a force that could not be ignored or buried away—a wild inferno in a world that always tried to snuff out the smallest of embers. Your power was born of defiance, a testimony of your will, even vengeance. 

You weren’t always good. At times, you think Satoru forgets that. 

Yet, against all odds, every attempt to diminish and erase you from the annals of time, you remained unbridled, unbroken. You bore no titles and came from no golden lineage; it was your strength alone that helped you carve your place in the world and carve your name into the sun. You were powerful. Unforgiving. You weren’t something to be protected and admired; you were destruction, born of dark weather and chaos.

And yet, you fell. 

A part of you wonders if this was the price to be paid for your transgressions—a quiet, unrelenting suffering that hollowed you out from the inside. It was almost poetic in it's cruelty, as if the weight of your sins could only be balanced by the weight in your chest.

Your flames, once roaring and defiant, sputtered and dwindled. For a while, you believed it was exhaustion, but you knew, deep in your bones, you weren’t the same. At first, you told yourself that you had endured far worse. You strappled the line of death more times than you could count. Sometimes, it was fury that had you crawling from your grave. Others, it was vengeance fueled by the fire meant to burn the pyre of your enemies and all those who wronged you.  

But, your fire hadn’t just dimmed and weakened. It was gone. The power, once flowing through your veins like lava and liquid gold, was replaced by a cold and suffocating emptiness. Even if the taste of ash lingered and the scent of black smoke permeated your nostrils, you weren’t the same. 

You were only six when your cursed technique appeared. You’re incapable of remembering what led to such depravity, such evil, or maybe you couldn’t bring yourself to remember why the people of your village tried killing you. You didn’t remember much of your childhood, but you remember those laughs that still haunted you in your dreams—the same laughs you heard as you were thrown into a ditch your small hands and feet couldn’t have hoped to crawl out of. 

They doused you in rum and lit a match. When the fire ignited, you were left to burn into nothingness. You remembered the feeling of each nerve ending igniting, the excruciating pain that consumed you. You remembered how your scream became a soundless cry as your vocal cords were scorched. You remembered the smell of your burning hair and flesh, the way flames licked at your eyeballs until you were blind. You remembered the end coming suddenly, but not quick enough. You remembered crying for a mother you couldn’t remember, a father that never protected you. 

Then, you remembered how suddenly the word came back. The flames became nothing but a gentle sting. Your flesh mended, and when you drew breath, a black smoke filtered into your lungs, giving you strength. You could taste the ash, and the blood in your veins began to boil. You were born again amongst the flames that once brought you so much agony. You ruled them—fire incarnate: destructive, yet devastatingly alive. 

You hadn’t just lost your technique. You were stripped away of everything you had ever been. Perhaps what stung the most was how the world kept spilling. You were a woman of no renown, no legacy to speak of. And now, you had no fire to prove you had ever been worth anything at all. 

You wonder—had you ever been as strong as you truly thought? Or were you a flame burning on borrowed time, destined to extinguish into nothing? 

You wanted to be forgotten. You wanted to disappear, to return to your flames. You had once despised them; you thought they cursed you with the wickedness they were born from. But, even so, it had been yours. Even if the world always thought you were more of a monster than a sorcerer, perhaps one more terrifying than the curses conjured from the worst parts of mankind, they were yours. And yet, you were lost without them.

You had survived because you had felt the touch of love, came to learn to accept it, and nurtured it with a darkened heart and two hands. Love yanked you back to the surface, yet a bitter and selfish part of you wondered at what cost? 

You wondered if he thought of you differently, if his love was slowly fading along with you, but you were too afraid to look. He had already told you once that you weren’t nearly as strong as you thought. He was right. You were a failure.

You still loved him. You don’t think you could ever stop loving him, but that love became so twisted—tangling with your hurt, your pride, and your inability to forgive everything but yourself.  His kindness became suffocating; his attempts at assurance only ever reminded you of what you lost. Every look of concern or sympathy—real or imagined—was a dagger to the chest. He would leave eventually. He’d grow tired of your ups and downs and how your sweetness could so quickly transform into bitterness.

Even as your strength slowly returned—enough to move without sleep constantly tugging at your consciousness or being teethed to IV drips—the hallowed absence of your cursed energy remained. It had become stagnant, hitting an invisible barrier you couldn’t push or break, no matter how hard you tried.

-

“Baby?” Satoru whispers out for you one night. You don’t respond, but he knows you can hear him. “Can I come in?” 

You make no effort to move or stand. You were frozen, lost in a grief you don’t think you could ever escape. You were on your bathroom floor, heaving over a toilet with a hand pressed to your chest as if it were the only thing keeping it from caving in. He wonders if you still have the ability to sense his presence—if you could sense that he was there waiting for you. 

“Go away,” you told him. You didn’t want him to see you like this, not with blood poring from your nose and dripping from your lips. You were sick. You were scared, angry, and so fucking confused. You didn’t know what was happening to you or how to make it stop it. 

“You know I can’t do that…” 

He wouldn’t leave you—not when you needed him; not when the love remained, even if it was buried under mounds of hurt and pain. It would be the greatest betrayal, even if you begged for it.

However, he wouldn’t push you. So, he lies on the cold wooden floor, his back pressed against the door. Even with five feet between you two, he felt as if you were going somewhere far, somewhere he couldn’t reach. Again.

He goes silent for a moment, searching for the right words that seem so out of reach. He doesn’t think there is anything he could say to make this better, but he could try.

“I used to think for a while that my life had no happy ending,” he says, voice low and steady. “But, then, I met you. Your power drew me in, yeah. But do you know what else did? Those rare smiles. I wanted to be responsible for them—all of them.” Even as you remained silent, there’s no shying away from the emotions his words sturs. There's no escaping him. 

“It was how you demanded a whole room with just your presence. I admired how you loved and hated in equal measure. I loved your wickedness and cunning wit. You dared to challenge the world, and I–” His voice dips lower. It's only to you that he reveals these fragile, intimate parts of himself. “... You made me believe in something more than myself.”

“I’m not the same,” you swallow hard, throat tightening as tears threaten to spill once again. “I’m not… I’m nothing like the woman you met.” 

“Good,” he says simply, voice firm. “Because I don’t need her. I need you. Even when you’re angry and hurting or think you’ve lost everything, I’ll still need you.” 

You turn your head to the door, his words settling over you like a blanket, heavy and warm. Your gaze falls to the floor, finding the faint shadow of him waiting for you. 

“I’ve hated myself for so long for not being able to stop what happened to you. I feel like I failed you—failed you in every way that mattered.” His head falls back, thumping against the door. He loved you. He knew he did because he could feel it in the way his heart ached for you—in the way your pain became his pain. You’re still the woman he admired; you were still the woman he longed for. You’ve never needed power to rule over him, yet he doesn’t know how to make you believe that. All he has is his heart, which he bears to you with two trembling hands. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” 

And finally, as tears gather in your eyes, you realize he wasn’t here because he pitied you. Satoru wasn’t conditional—he didn’t know how to love in halves. You had always felt it, the lingering truths caught between two hearts. But now, he was here, baring it all—leaving no room for doubt or space for denial.

He loves you.

“Your fire isn’t just in your technique—it's in everything you do, angel. It's in the way you look at the world, how you fight for what you believe in, and even the way you love… it used to scare me,” he chuckles gravely. There wasn’t ever a moment, he thinks, that he wasn’t enraptured with you. He can’t recall a time when he hadn't been caught in your obit and seized in the invisible weight of your gravity. 

Your eyes fluttered close, your breath catching as his words settled over you. For the first time in a long while, you feel something other than the crushing burden of loss. You feel him, steady and unwavering. You don’t know if you should cry or let yourself fall into him entirely. 

“Satoru,” you trembled. “What’s happening to me?”

One thing Satoru could never do was lie to you. Not even about this, as his heart nearly fails him. “You're displacing more cursed energy than you’re retaining. It’s making you sick.” 

A shuddering cry slips past your lips. “... Am I dying?”

You hear him move behind the door. His voice, steady but tense, cuts through your panic. “I’m coming in.” 

“No, don’t–”

But it was too late. A locked door wasn’t enough to stop him. The knob crumbles under the force of his grip, a deafening crunch filling the room. Yet, despite the raw display of his strength, he pushes the door open with a gentleness that makes your chest ache. 

You were terrified, your hand pinching harder against your nose that refused to stop dripping blood. It was everywhere—soaking your shirt, trickling down your arm, dripping to the floor, and piling between the cracks of the tiles. You tried to clean it up, but it just wouldn't stop.

His eyes are a bit wide as he takes you in, but he doesn’t reveal much. His expression is unreadable as he drops to his knees. You crawl backward until your back meets the tub. “No, no, no, stop–” but it was futile. 

Blood stains his shirt, his hands, and smears across his cheek as he drags you into his arms. He doesn’t seem to notice—or maybe he doesn’t care. 

“Satoru–”

“I don’t care,” he says sharply. His hands cup the back of your head, fingers threading through your hair as he presses you to his body. “I don’t care about that. Just… stay still. Breath,” he murmurs. “In and out. That’s all you have to do right now.”

You cry with such an unalloyed and raw pain that robs you of breath. It starts low, guttural, crawling from the deepest parts of you. It carries jagged edges, and swells into a sound so consuming, it drowns out everything else. Shaking, shuddering, choking—you fall apart, gasping for air between waves of anguish.

Satoru loses track of time suspended in the purgatory of your suffering.

“I’m not leaving,” he promises, trembling against you slightly. “And neither are you. I already told you before that you’re stuck with me.”

-

a/n: since my first fic did so well, i decided to make a mini-series depicting readers recovery :) feel free to send requests if you have any. i can either make a small blurb, a headcannon, or even make an entire chapter out of it. also, sorry if there are any typos its getting late lol

on a different note, i sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter. my goal was to capture the readers suffering and Gojo's guilt, and i truly hope i did it justice. i also added a little bit backstory for the reader! i wanted to add layers and reveal that she's an imperfect character. regardless, i sincerely hope you enjoyed. please let me know your thoughts!! I would love to hear them :)

also, i know the kids weren't in this chapter but don't worry! they'll be around very soon!

lastly, thank you all so much for the overwhelming love and support on my first fic. i'm beyond grateful that so many of you enjoyed my writing. it genuinely means the world to me! your encouragement and kind words warmed my little heart.