Author’s Note: Here’s the next chapter! I hope ya like! Don’t forget to tell me what ya think. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, not the characters.

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Jess dribbled the ball down the pitch, searching for an open teammate. She easily got passed Meg by faking a pass to her right and continued to dribble down with little effort. Joe watched her intently, although he was paying very little attention to the game. She still hadn’t talked to him since the night before and he was quickly going insane with worry. Jess side passed the ball to Jules and held back as she scored. The girls on her side cheered and ran over to Jules, tackling her to the grassy ground. Jess turned away from the celebrations and walked down the pitch, toward the lockers. She began to jog when she realized Joe had abandoned his place on the sidelines and followed her.

“Jess!” He shouted over the girls’ laughter and cheers.

She pretended not to hear his strained yell of her name over the cacophony of sound and continued jogging toward the locker room. She retched the door open and rushed inside, letting the door slam behind her. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sat on the edge of the bench between their lockers. She reached for her bag and retrieved her cell from the front pocket, along with a bottle of water. She took a sip and held down the number 4 to speed dial Pinky.

“Hello?”

“Pinky, I can’t do it. I can’t tell him.”

“Jess? What’re you talkin’ about? You- Bryan! Put that down right now!”

Jess quickly removed the phone from her ear and winced as Pinky’s voice echoed around the empty locker room.

“You never touch these! What did Mummy and Daddy tell you about fire?!”

“Pinky?”

“No, go to your room. Now!”

“Pinky!”

Jess shouted into the phone as she heard her nephew whining in the background.

“Will you just hold on a bloody second, Jess?!”

She sighed loudly and gritted her teeth as she listened to Pinky reprimand Bryan. She heard a door slam on the other side of the line and waited for Pinky to talk.

“Now, what’s goin’ on?” She asked impatiently.

Jess sighed again and rubbed her eyes.

“I can’t tell him…” She whispered.

Pinky sighed this time and sat down on her sofa.

“Jess. If you don’t tell him, you’ve only got one more option.”

Jess laid back on the bench and pressed the phone to her ear.

“I can’t do that either…”

“Well, you gotta do one, Jess. You can’t have the baby and not tell Joe about it.”

“I know, but…I can’t…kill it.”

“Then you’ve gotta do it. Just tell him. No stalling, no beating around the bush. Just tell him outright. That’s all you can do.”

“But I really don’t want to…He’s gonna be-”

She broke off as the girls began to pile into the room; laughing, talking, and singing.

“I gotta go.”

“All right. Just tell him, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks. Love you, bye.”

She flipped her phone shut and pulled out her clothes to get changed. Mel came out of the showers and stopped at the locker next to hers.

“Jess, where’d you go after the match? Joe was calling for you. He wants to see you after you change.”

“Oh, I didn’t hear him.” She lied. “Where did he…say he was gonna be?”

“I think he said he was gonna be in the bar.”

She nodded and threw her jeans and cleats into her gym bag. Slipping on her sandals, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out, still wearing her practice clothes. She quickly walked toward the street, away from the pitch, away from Joe. She whipped a shirt out of her bag once she realized she was only wearing her sports bra and pulled it over her head. She made her way down the street, flip flops slapping the bottom of her heals. Her breathing began to quicken as she picked up speed. Sweat began to trickle down her forehead and onto her nose. She was half running, half speed walking when she heard her name over the loud roaring in her ears. She glanced back, not slowing, knowing who it was. With her head turned, her sandal collided with a crack in the sidewalk and she went sprawling forward, landing hard on the concrete. Her wrist cracked as she flung it out to break her fall. She cried out and rolled onto her side, clutching her hand. Bag abandoned, she rocked from side to side, trying desperately to prevent the tears falling as she heard feet pounding the pavement. She bit the inside of her cheek as heavy breathing sounded in her ear. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into a seated position.

“Oh, Jess…” He trailed off, seeing blood trickling down her legs, cheek and foot.

He picked up her forgotten bag laying at the curb and slung it onto his back. He then bent down to pick her up, careful not to bump any of her injuries. She wrapped her uninjured arm around his neck as he placed an arm underneath her knees and on her back. She buried her face into his shirt, not noticing the blood staining it red. He kissed the top of her head and quickly made his way back toward the pitch. Jess shook in his arms and tears gently dropped onto his shirt as well, mixing with the ever flowing blood from her brow. He placed her in the passenger seat of the car and continued over to the driver’s side. He pulled out of the parking lot and silently drove to the emergency room.

“It’s gonna be all right, Love” He whispered, pulling into a spot closest to the entrance.

He ran over to her side and easily lifted her into his arms again and walked toward the entrance. The doors slid open once his feet hit the mat and he continued in, where a nurse rolled a wheelchair to his side. He gently eased her into it and looked up as the nurse began questioning her condition.

“Um, she fell…” He told her.

“All right, I’ll take her in to see the doctor now. Are you a relative?”

“No, I’m her boyfriend.”

“All right, just go up to the desk and fill out her paperwork.”

The nurse said, pointing to a large desk to his left before wheeling Jess down the hall. He walked to the pretty woman on the phone who was sitting behind the desk. She handed him a clipboard and a pen with a smile and he began to fill out the forms.

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He entered the room and found her sitting on the hospital bed. The cast on her left arm went from her knuckles to her mid forearm. She had bandages on her right knee, along with a brace on her ankle. A butterfly band-aid covered the three stitches above her eyebrow as well. She bit her lip as he stared at her, taking in her appearance.

“Hey.” He whispered, walking toward her.

“Hi.” She whispered back.

“The doctor said I can take ya home now.”

She nodded and glanced down at his blood stained shirt. She reached out and touched the fabric.

“Sorry…I didn’t know I was getting it on your shirt.”

“It’s fine. I don’t care. It’s just a shirt.”

She bit her lip again and let her hand drop.

“You ready to go home now?”

“Yeah…but I can’t…” She gestured to her stubbed toe and sore ankle. “walk.”

He smiled and easily lifted her into his arms again. He walked out of the room and politely refused the offer of a wheelchair from a kind nurse. Once they were situated in the car and he had pulled out of the parking lot, he decided to broach the topic she so desperately tried to avoid. She was staring intently at her blue cast and picking at the bandage on her knee. He reached over and rubbed her arm.

“Jess?”

“Hmm?”

“Are ya gonna tell me what’s goin’ on?”

She looked out the window to avoid his fierce ocean like stare. He looked away as the light turned green and pressed the gas peddle. He was going to ask again when she whispered a response.

“Do I have to…?”

“Yes, ya have to.”

“I don’t think I should tell you while you’re driving…” She sighed.

His knuckles began to turn white as he clutched the steering wheel harder in fear. He glanced at her; face pale, hands together, thumbs twiddling nervously. He sighed frustratingly, but waited until he parked outside of her house. He turned off the engine and angled his body toward hers, waiting for a response. She rubbed her face with her uninjured hand and bit her lip again. She looked into his eyes and saw the worry was almost overwhelming him. She sighed again and turned away, staring at the clasped hands in her lap.

“All right, Pinky said it’s best if I just do it outright…”

He waited expectantly, impatience showing on his features.

“Joe…I’m pregnant…” She trailed off, chancing a glance in his direction.

His eyes had become round with shock, his jaw had dropped and his mouth hung open.

“Joe…?” She waited, every second getting harder for her to bear.

Her eyebrows rose, silently telling him to say something. When he didn’t, she gathered her bag and got out of the car. She closed the door and limped away when she realized he hadn’t moved and his expression hadn’t changed. He watched as the door closed behind her, whispering only one word as he did.

“Pregnant…?”

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Well, I hope you liked it! Please, oh please review! Thanks!