A/N: Hello, everyone. Here is the fourth installment in the Crutchie and Jennie series, I hope you enjoy it. At this point Crutchie and Jennie have been married for two years and Jack and Katherine have been married for one year.
September 1905
"Thank you for inviting me over Katherine, everything was delicious." Jennie smiled as she finished her scone and set her teacup down on the table in front of her.
Katherine chuckled. "Don't thank me, I can hardly boil water without accidentally setting something on fire. This was all the work of the bakery down the street."
"Well, then I'll be sure to stop by and give them my compliments on my way home," Jennie replied, giggling.
"Before you go, there's actually something I wanted to tell you. If you have time, that is," Katherine said, glancing at the clock worriedly. "I know it's already five."
"I can stay a little longer, Charlie won't be home from work until six," Jennie reassured her. "What is it?"
Katherine hesitated for a moment, clasping her hands together tightly. When she spoke her voice was soft and tender. "I'm pregnant."
Jennie gasped. "Oh, congratulations! How far along are you?"
"Almost three months," Katherine said, unable to suppress the grin which now spread across her face any longer. "It still doesn't feel real."
"I can imagine." Jennie smiled. "I take it Jack knows?"
"He does. I wasn't going to tell anyone else for another few weeks, but he's so excited I thought it would be cruel to make him wait any longer."
"I'm excited, too!" Jennie exclaimed, reaching forward to hug Katherine. "I hope you know that I'm going to spoil this little one rotten."
Katherine laughed. "I would expect nothing less."
-Break-
When Crutchie entered the tiny one-bedroom apartment he and Jennie shared the first thing he noticed was that there was no smell of food cooking like there normally was. The second thing he noticed was Jennie, sitting at the kitchen table staring off into the distance.
"Jennie?" Crutchie asked as he shut the door and set his bag down, his voice laced with confusion and more than a little concern. "Jennie, what's wrong?"
Jennie looked up in surprise, Crutchie's voice startling her out of her trance. "Charlie! I'm sorry, I completely lost track of time, let me get dinner started."
Jennie started to get up but Crutchie shook his head and made his way over to the table, sitting down across from Jennie and taking one of her hands. "Jennie. I ain't an idiot, much as ya like to call me one. I can tell something's buggin' you."
Jennie looked away from Crutchie, refusing to make eye contact with him. They sat like that for what seemed to be hours, until finally, Jennie spoke.
"Katherine and Jack are having a baby."
Crutchie blinked, then grinned happily as he fully processed what Jennie had told him. "That's great! I'll have to congratulate Jack in person next time I see him…" he trailed off as he noticed the tears slowly running down Jennie's cheeks. "Jennie? What's wrong?"
Jennie shook her head, furiously wiping at her eyes to try and make the tears stop. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry. It's nothing."
"It ain't nothin' if it's got ya all upset." Crutchie gently squeezed Jennie's hand. "Tell me what's wrong, please?"
"I just want a baby," Jennie whispered, her face crumpling as she began to sob.
"Oh, darlin'," Crutchie sighed as he hugged Jennie tightly and held her as she sobbed, in much the same way as the night when he had first asked her out on a date five years earlier.
"What if we never have children?" Jennie asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
"You don't know that that'll happen," Crutchie said soothingly. "We could have kids this time next year."
"Or we could live our whole lives without children. You don't know that that won't happen," Jennie countered.
"Jennie, look at me," Crutchie instructed. Jennie looked up at him, her eyes soft and still shining with unshed tears. "We'll have kids one day. I promise you that. Okay?"
Jennie hiccuped and smiled slightly. "Okay."
Crutchie smiled down at Jennie, his eyes tender and full of love. "I love you."
"I love you too."
A/N: Infertility is sadly something which many men and women around the world struggle with today for a myriad of different reasons, and I wanted to explore that a little with Crutchie and Jennie in this story.
Please review, and tell me what you think of this story so far!