Never Told You

Chapter Seventeen

My alarm rang through my bedroom, waking River and I out of a sound sleep. I got up out of bed and went to the kitchen to make coffee for River. Being pregnant was a little crappy because I wasn't able to drink coffee. River walked in and hugged me from behind. I breathed into the hug and relaxed my body.

"Good morning babe. It's raining, so make sure to wear something warm. I don't need you and that baby to get cold." I giggled at him and turned around.

"Don't worry, love. We won't get cold. I'm so excited to hear his heartbeat again." River nodded in agreement, and then looked into my eyes.

"I have a surprise for you after the appointment." My eyes widened.

"What is this said surprise, River?" He laughed and I knew he wasn't going to tell me. I went into the room and put on a pair of jeans and my favorite maternity hoodie.

"I'm sad you can't come to the appointment with me. I wish Julian didn't need you for work. I guess it's whatever." River sighed and kissed my forehead.

"You'll be okay. I promise nothing is going to go wrong. Now, you better get going." I nodded in agreement and put my shoes on. I then grabbed keys and slipped out the door. I hated going to these appointments alone. I checked into the lobby and sat down, waiting for a nurse to call my name.

"Lauren, we're ready for you." As I walked into the room, my phone vibrated in my pocket and caught my attention. I gave a urine sample, and then took my temperature and blood pressure. I looked at the nurse and she had a concerned look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" I cleared my throat and was scared of bad news.

"No, your blood pressure is just a little bit high." I sighed and relaxed. When she said the doctor would be with me shortly, I took my phone out and opened up the text I had received. It was a video that I had to download. The doctor walked in while the video was downloading. He checked for swelling in my feet, and said that everything looked good. He then started checking for the heartbeat. He found it, but looked concerned.

"Ms. Grey, it seems the heartbeat is irregular. We are gonna get you in right away for an ultrasound." My breath caught in my throat and panic began to rise. I took my phone out to text River, and it opened up to the video. It was a couple of people having sex. I was grossed out, until I realized who was in the video. It was Alyssa and River. How could he sleep with her? Tears welled in my eyes and I started to become overwhelmed. The ultrasound tech then came and got my, and she performed an ultrasound. I went back to my room and waited for the doctor to come back. My phone vibrated and I was getting a call from River.

"Hello?" My voice was quiet because I didn't want to talk to River.

"Hey, everything okay? You've been there longer than usual." I sighed and looked at my feet.

"No. Gotta go. Bye." I hung up and then the doctor walked in.

"So, it looks like your baby has Atrial Septal Defect, or ASD. The wall that blocks the upper two valves of the heart is missing. It's something I want you in every two weeks for. It should heal before birth. If not, he'll have to have open heart surgery after birth. It's not anything to be super worried about, but something we need to keep an eye on. Other than that, keep up what you're doing. You're good to head out. See ya in two weeks." He walked out of the room, and I followed behind him and made my next appointment. After booking my appointment, I got in my car and started crying. I decided to drive home and pack some clothes. I was leaving. I knew I would run into River at home.

"Lauren!! I was so worried about you! Tell me what's wrong." I started out with the baby.

"The baby has a heart defect, there's a chance he'll need open heart surgery after he's born." River tried hugging me, but I backed away. He looked at me confused.

"Lauren, what else is going on?" I sighed and walked to the bedroom and got out my duffle bag. I started packing everything I could fit.

"You really thought I wouldn't find out? I trusted you, again, and you just had to go and blow it? You know how not okay it is that you cheated on me? I'd rather have a bet over my head." River looked confused, but I finished packing my bag and walked out of the apartment before he could stop me. I knew just where I wanted to go. I drove, and parked on the side of the road. I walked back into the opening and decided to start a fire since the rain had cleared and it was still chilly. I sat on the log and let my mind wonder. Tears kept rolling down my cheeks, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped up and turned around, almost falling into the fire.

"Hi, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Jonah, and I saw you walk back here. I was curious." I nodded and shook his hand.

"I'm Lauren. I'm sorry, I frighten easily. This opening means a lot to someone I know, and it's peaceful. I come here when I need to get away from people." He nodded like he understood.

"It's beautiful, that's for sure. Why were you crying?" I looked at my belly and rubbed it.

"Yeah, just got some bad news. That's all." He pointed at my belly.

"Baby news? That's always the worst. My girlfriend, well my ex-girlfriend, miscarried our daughter. She was 21 weeks when it happened. She left me because I just reminded her of the baby she lost." He sighed and broke eye contact by looking at his feet.

"Wow. Um, well mine's not that bad. Just a heart defect that could heal before birth. My boyfriend, or whatever he is, cheated on me and I just found out about it today." I sighed to match his mood and sat back down on the bench, and invited Jonah to sit with me.

"That's tuff. I'm sorry you're going through that alone. Do you love him?" I nodded in a yes and remained silent. Jonah noticed I didn't want to talk, and retreated back to his car, and left me his phone number. I sat there until the sun began to set and walked back to my car in the dark. I got in and started it, not knowing where to go. I then remembered that Julian was working tonight. I drove to the labbed and was greeted with a hug when I walked in.

"Hey Julian. I'm sorry I haven't been in. River refuses, but that won't be a problem anymore. Let me help you."

"Lauren, River would kill me if I did that. He told me about the baby's heart." I sighed and nodded.

"Please let me help you, I need to remove these thoughts from my mind.

"I guess I could use the help." We worked in silence for three hours, then I broke it after we began finishing up.

"Hey Julian, is it maybe okay if I crashed on your couch tonight? I got into it with River and I'm not going home." Julian looked concerned.

"You can stay as long as you need. Also, here's your cut that I refused to give to River." I took the envelope and put it in my duffle bag once I got to my car. I started my car up and followed Julian to his house that I thought was an apartment.

"Julian, I didn't know you owned a home." He nodded in pleasure and looked at his hand.

"I'm also married, and I have a two year old daughter. We have a spare room, so there's no need for you to sleep on the couch. Just be quiet because everyone is in bed. I'll tell Jess about you when she gets up tomorrow." I was surprised to learn this about Julian.

"Thank you for this Julian. I really appreciate it." He nodded as if it wasn't an issue at all.