Julie squeezed her lips together and scrunched her eyebrows. It was the only way she could stop herself from sobbing. This news hit her like a ton of bricks. It was not something she would have even considered happening. She had faithfully taken those pills because of this exact reason. And she was still a nurse. She wasn't working as one currently, but she still renewed her license because the practical side of her needed something to fall back on. And it seemed the longer life went on the more she thought she would have to go back to it. And now this. A baby. She wasn't ready for a baby. "Harry." Julie said with a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. Maybe they're wrong. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"No. Don't do that." Harry took a deep breath. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was as shocked as she was. But he didn't blame her. "It's not your fault."

"I should have known. I should have been more careful." Julie put her face in her hands. "They have to be wrong. I'm so sorry."

Harry felt her pain and immediately stepped closer and took her hands from her face and held them. He sat down next to her. "Stop apologizing. Please." He looked at her hands and then at her face. "I'm shocked, too. A million things are running through my head, too. But I don't blame you. Baby, please believe that."

"This can't be happening." Julie started to get anxious. She couldn't wrap her head around this at all. "I'm having a nightmare, right? I'm going to wake up soon, right?"

"No, baby. This is real. We will figure this out. Just please, relax a little, ok. Getting worked up isn't going to help things. Stay calm, for me, ok?" Harry looked at the door when the doctor knocked, but he didn't get up this time. He knew his girlfriend, and if he walked away from her now, her mind would go into overdrive, wondering what he was thinking. He kept holding one of her hands when she took the meds that Mrs. Mansfield held out to her.

"Looks like the fluids are almost done." Dr. Mansfield handed Harry two scripts. "These are the antibiotics for the UTI she has. She doesn't need them until tomorrow evening. We are giving her a dose through her IV now, and what she took by mouth was a prenatal vitamin. I also gave you a script for that until she can get in to see her OB. It could change, but for now this will be good."

Harry looked down at Julie who had dropped her chin back to her chest and closed her eyes. If she was going to freak out, then he would have to be the one who didn't. At least not yet. "Thank you, Doctor. For everything." He reached over and shook his hand.

"Just make sure you keep fluids in her as much as possible. Ginger ale and crackers could help. Best to eat a little something before trying to get out of bed in the morning or after you've been lying down awhile." Mrs. Mansfield added. "I've done this before. It does get better." She smiled at Julie as she unhooked the IV and removed it from Julie's arm. She saw the look at Julie's face and immediately felt a little heart broken. Julie had not been expecting this result, and it showed. Hopefully, the fear she could feel exuding from Julie would dissipate over time. "Ok, you're all set." Mrs. Mansfield took the tray to get rid of all the supplies.

Julie looked down at the bandage on her arm. Pregnant. She was growing a baby inside her and had been for weeks. She would turn 28 in a couple of weeks. It wasn't like she was too young, but she was just starting to finally get control of some of her life, and accept that Harry and she were going to be more than just dating. And now, they had a baby coming. No. She couldn't be a mother. What if the kid ended up as messed up as she was? She looked over at Harry talking to Dr. Mansfield, and he looked as pale as she felt. She saw Harry walking towards her, but when he spoke, he sounded really far away. She felt like she'd fallen into deep water and was peering up at Harry who was on the surface.  His words seemed muffled to her ears.

Harry stopped in front of Julie and spoke when she looked up at him, but he didn't think she heard a word he'd said. "Julie? Baby?" He took her hand. "The doctor said we can go. Let's get you home and comfortable." When she didn't move, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her from the table and set her on her feet. "Come on, baby." He held her hand and said good bye to Dr. and Mrs. Mansfield. He apparently was going to have to be the caretaker in this moment because she was not being very receptive to this news right now.

Harry opened her car door and helped her in before going around and getting in the drivers seat. As he got in, he watched her pull on her seat belt and couldn't help but look at her stomach. He knew there was no change in it yet, but his mind was playing tricks on him. His first thought was one he wished he could forget. When he'd first heard the words from the doctor, he questioned right away how she couldn't know. But she seemed genuinely shocked. And her reaction now no doubt helped solidify that fact. As he pulled out onto the street, he reached over for her hand. He was shocked as shit that she was pregnant, but the last thing he wanted was for her to think he wasn't going to support her. Way back when Amanda thought she was pregnant, they'd had it out over decisions and options. He wasn't willing to have that argument again.

He knew they were going to need to have a discussion about this, but right now, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to pull her from her thoughts. That deep place she went when she wasn't sure how to handle things. He pulled up at the house, and when she didn't move, he unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, walked around and opened her door. Instead of coaxing her with words, he gently bent down and scooped her up into his arms. He rested his head on hers when she snuggled her face into his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute or so, he picked his head up, kissed her head and walked her to the house. He set her down on her feet only so he could unlock the door.

After he'd unlocked the door, Harry walked her to the couch and had her sit down. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and put it over her. She still hadn't said a word. As scary as this was. As unexpected as it was, they would be ok. He had faith they could do this. He had to. The alternative was just not an option. And the relationship wasn't an option either. She was his love. So, no matter how unprepared he felt for this, it was just going to happen. He went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water and some crackers. He didn't have any ginger ale. He would have to go to the store. But he wasn't sure if he should leave her. He brought the water and crackers to her and sat on the coffee table in front of her. "Hey, we don't have any ginger ale. Should I go to the store and get some? Maybe drop off your scripts at the 24 hour pharmacy?"

Julie looked up startled when Harry started to speak, she hadn't even realized he had come back in and was sitting by her. She had to really concentrate on what he was saying. "I'll take the scripts to the hospital pharmacy tomorrow. At least I know they'll be discreet with the prenatal vitamins. Imagine you walking in and them recognizing you as you hand them a script for prenatal vitamins."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, ok, but it has to be kept confidential." He shook his head. Should and would were two different things. "Ok, I'm going to get you some ginger ale then. We need to make sure you stay hydrated so your blood pressure doesn't drop and you don't pass out again."

"If you want. You don't have to. Water is fine." The emotion caught in Julie's voice. She was trying to act normal, but this was a lot of information to take in right now. A baby. Her baby. Her and Harry's baby. "Oh, my god." Julie moved around trying to get comfortable, but she soon realized that it wasn't a physical discomfort. It was an emotional one. No matter how much she moved, she wouldn't feel comfortable right now.

"I will. I won't be long." He got up and kissed her head and then lips and grabbed his keys. He needed a minute. He didn't want her to see him panic, so he was trying really hard not to. This wasn't in the plans, but plans change. And boy was this plan changing. He went out to the car and started it. He sat in the driveway for a few minutes. He leaned his head back against the car seat. Pregnant. She was bloody pregnant. And here he had been afraid she was either seriously ill or having major head issues. His mind never went to her being pregnant. He knew she would never even think about not taking her birth control pills for fear of this happening.

Harry rubbed his face as he took a deep breath. Julie had always avoided talk about children as much as she could. She was convinced she'd be a horrible mother, but Harry wasn't so much. Little things about her made him think she'd make an amazing one. He'd watched her with some of his friend's children. And especially his god-children, when she was around them. She had a way with them, but every time he brought it up, she said it's because she could play with them and then give them back. She wasn't responsible for their upbringing. This was definitely not in his plans right now. But he also knew that he was going to have to be the logical one. Especially at first. His girlfriend would be the tougher sell that she could do this.

Harry let out another breath before he put the car in drive and started his short drive to the store. Pregnant. Julie was having a baby. His baby. It's amazing how fast those words can change your life, he thought. He drove to the store closest to his house basically on autopilot. He grabbed a couple kinds of crackers, and a few other things he thought she could be tempted to eat. He had a lot to learn. But luckily, he had close friends with small children. So he knew some of the foods Jules and Meri had been able to tolerate when they were first pregnant, and he felt fortunate that he had others to go to for help and support. He wanted nothing more than to call his mum and talk to her about everything. But he had to think about Julie and her wishes too. He gathered she wouldn't be as anxious to tell anyone about this. He, himself, was up and down about it.

He drove straight home from the store and went into the house to find Julie exactly where he left her still looking pale and shocked. He put the crackers in the cupboard and got a glass of ice and poured Julie a glass of ginger ale. He brought it in and set it on the table in front of her. "There you go, love. Can I get you anything else?"

Julie shook her head no, but didn't say anything. The only thing that kept running through her mind was she wasn't ready for a baby and never thought she would be. She couldn't be pregnant. She couldn't get past that part to think of anything else. Well, besides the fact that she completely blamed herself for this happening. "I'm so sorry." She said quietly. "I should have known about the medication."

"Stop. Please." Harry sat down next to her. "This is not your fault."

"Of course it is. I should have known better." Julie took a shaky breath, but it wasn't helping to stop the tears that were already forming in her eyes. "I can't believe it."

"Baby, I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what to do. Or what to think. I'm still trying to understand this myself. But if I'm certain about one thing, it's this is not your fault. Nothing is completely foolproof. I knew that." He reached over and took her hand. "We can do this. Together."

Julie shook her head fighting her tears and the emotion about to spill from her. She couldn't say anything so she just kept shaking her head. This shouldn't be happening. She wasn't ready for this. After everything, how could this be happening?

"Yes, we can. We don't have a choice." He took the blanket off of her and pulled her closer to him wrapping her back in the blanket when she was leaning against his side with his arm wrapped snuggly around her. "We may not have expected this. It may take awhile to grasp it fully. But there's a baby, Julie. A baby we created out of love."

"I can't even take care of myself. How can I be responsible for another life? One completely reliant on me." Julie sniffled.

"We will be responsible." He looked down. "Look at me, please." He waited until she raised her eyes to him. He hated seeing the fear and sadness in them. He ran his fingers over her cheekbone. "This is on me, as much as it's on you. And you're ok. You're not ill. It's a life. Part of both of us. That has to mean something."

"It does. It's just, I never expected this to happen. I thought I was doing all the right things. When they switched my medications, I should have asked. I should have been prepared." She tried to stop the tears, but her voice was full of emotion. "And I'm sorry about that."

"No. Please. I get you think you need to be sorry. But you don't." He leaned closer and searched her eyes. "I promise, you will never be in this alone. I will be here every step of the way. We will do this together. And I still believe we can do anything we choose together. Please, believe me."

Julie nodded and sighed just a little bit. He was such a good man. She couldn't forgive herself yet for her body betraying her, but he could. He could accept this craziness so quickly. "I'm so scared." Julie said quietly. "So, so scared."

Harry pulled her tightly to him and moved her so he could fully embrace her. "I know you are. It's ok." He rubbed her back when her arms went around him and she clung tightly to him. "I don't expect you to be able to sort through this right away. But you will. And I'll be here to listen to your fears. Help you through your doubts. I love you, baby."

Julie mumbled an 'I love you' into Harry's shoulder and hung onto him like her life depended on it. Hell, maybe it did. Two lives now. Hers and this baby that was growing inside her. But his being as ok with it as he was, she was already starting to believe that maybe they could do this, accept this together. The tension in her shoulders eased up a fraction. After a few minutes, she was able to control her emotions a bit. She pulled back and kissed him when he puckered his lips. "Can we go to bed? It's getting late, and I'm extremely worn out right now. It's been a hell of a day."

Harry smiled down at her. "Of course, as long as you're coming to our bed. I just want to hold you." He helped her from the couch and kissed her. "This changes nothing, you know." He chuckled a little at the look on her face. "Ok, it changes everything, except for the fact that I love you with everything I have."

She put her hand on his cheek and then pinched his cheek a little. "I'm going to bed." She turned and went to the stairs. "But I still love you, too." She walked up the stairs and to their bedroom. God, this was going to be hard on her. She needed to accept a baby that she wasn't ready for, one she wasn't sure she ever wanted. And now, she had no choice. Not a choice she would make anyway. She grabbed her pajamas and started to get ready for bed.

Harry closed up the house and made sure everything was turned off and locked. Today he had started with being unsure of where his relationship stood after their intense fight. And it ended with them finding out that they were having a baby. What a roller coaster of a day it had been. He grabbed a bucket of ice and a couple of ginger ales along with a package of crackers with him. He remembered Mrs. Mansfield telling them putting something into Julie's stomach before she got up with help with the nausea. As crazy as this all was, as scary as this all was, he was starting to accept it already.

Harry walked into the room and couldn't help but smile at what he saw. He set the things he had in his hands on the night stand and watched Julie at the full length mirror with her shirt up, looking at her non-existent baby bump. "You know, there's nothing there yet, don't you? There's no indication from the outside that there's a baby growing in there. Trust me, I'd have noticed. I know every inch of your body."

Julie turned back and forth looking at it. "I can't imagine it. I can't see me pregnant. I've never believed I'd ever have a baby. I was convinced I didn't want one, ever. Because I didn't want to screw their life up."

Harry walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his hands on her bare stomach. "But you're not in that place anymore. You're not lost; you're not wondering if you're going to have to up and run anymore. You have a home, and a boyfriend who loves you more than anything. And now, we have a baby."

Julie looked at Harry's hands on her stomach. "My boyfriend loves me more than anything, huh?"

"More than anything." He kissed her neck and then bent and rested his chin on her shoulder. "And I can't wait until my hands can rest on a true baby bump. I can't wait until we can stand like this, and I can feel the baby kick my hands."

"Ok, you're getting way ahead of yourself. I haven't known about this baby for more than a couple of hours." Julie moved Harry's hands and pulled her shirt down. "Please don't try to put me into a full blown panic attack already."

Harry laughed and walked over to get his pajamas. "Come on. You're going to look sexy as hell carrying my baby."

"Shut up, Harry." Julie took some ice and filled her glass pouring some ginger ale over it. "I swear."

"Of course, you do. I also know why you've been a bit unpredictable lately." Harry ducked the pillow she threw at him. "Too soon?"

"Way. Too. Soon." Julie gritted her teeth at him before taking a drink and then settling down into bed pulling the covers to her chin.

"Well, there's nothing anyone can do about what's happened now. There's no going back. This is now our reality." Harry turned out the lamp and climbed into bed next to her. "And I've grown fond of my reality."

Julie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've grown pretty fond of my reality lately, too." Julie shook her head and chuckled. "I hate saying that out loud. Being content never works out well for me. Guess this baby thing just proves it."

"Nope. It's not a curse. You'll see." Harry pulled her down to his chest.

"How can you be so ok with this? You can not tell me you wanted to have a baby right now. You just started your solo career, and this was not in your plans." Julie snuggled into his side and rested her hand on his chest.

"No, I wasn't planning on a baby right now. But I never said I didn't want to have kids. And there's no one else I'd want to have them with. Maybe not now, but someday. So, this just moved up the timeline." Harry kissed her head. "So, since it can't be changed, and we can't go back and ask for it to happen later, just have to accept it now."

"It messes with your plans for your music, and your career as a whole. Your next album and your touring." Julie started tracing absentmindedly over his tattoos. She loved that he very rarely wore a shirt to bed when they were together. His heartbeat and tracing his tattoos became very calming to her.

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter. That can be worked out. I won't leave you when you need me. Working on songs and recording can be done wherever you are. And I don't need to release until I'm ready." Harry was going through all this in his head. "Touring will happen if and when you're ready for it."

"I wouldn't ask you to give up what you love." Julie shook her head. "We don't have to talk about that all now. We don't even know how far along I am. Or anything really."

"We know you're having my baby." Harry tilted her chin up and kissed her lips.

"Oh, but it's clearly your business." Julie smiled. "Completely, your business."

"My clever girl." Harry chuckled. "I'm in this with you, Julie. No matter what happens, it's you and me, and now baby, against the world."

"I wouldn't want to take on the world with anyone else. But I'm still scared as hell. I'm still not sure I can do this." Julie laid her head back on Harry's chest. "Be prepared for me to tell you I hate you a lot more than usual."

One corner of Harry's mouth turned up into a smile. "Well, I'm pretty sure I can deal with that. I've heard it often enough." Harry closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. He stroked her back gently and slowly up and down. Before he knew it, her breathing steadied. "I hope you sleep well, love." He moved his other hand and touched her stomach lightly. "And you too, little one. It may be a crazy ride, but you couldn't be loved any more than you already are by me and by your mum. You just wait and see."

Y'all are my favorites! Thank you for coming along for this all new crazy....
Any comments would be more than welcome....
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