After All (A Jordan Knight/Joe McIntyre Fanfiction)

41

Amber feels completely rejuvenated mentally after being back in Boston for two months. She's found an amazing OB/GYN. Joe's been home to see her a few times. His last visit they bought baby furniture. Amber's tried to get him to talk about baby names, but he doesn't want to do that until they find out the sex of the baby. They'll be finding out next month at her six month appointment.

Joe seems distracted on their nightly phone call tonight. He and Sam, the new sound tech are going out for drinks tonight. Apparently Sam's wife just left to go back home too. So they're going to keep each other company. Joe seems to be hanging out with Sam a lot lately. Amber's glad he's made a new friend, only having the other new kids to hang out with all the time gets old for them. So having friends outside the group keeps them from getting on each other's nerves.

Joe cuts their call short tonight. She says she'll call him tomorrow afternoon, but he says he and Sam are playing golf tomorrow. "Then you call me when you're finished playing golf."

"Okay babe. Sam's here, I gotta get going. Love you."

Amber barely gets the words "I love you too" out before he hangs up. Amber hadn't even gotten a chance to tell him about feeling the baby kick today. She'd just tell him tomorrow. Amber decides she has to share the news with someone so she calls Jordan.

"Hey girl child, how're you doing?"

"Hey Pops. I'm good. Getting fat." She rubs her growing baby bump. "How's the tour going?"

"Oh it's going really good. Wish you were still out here with us. I miss your beautiful face."

"I'd be so miserable now. I'm telling you I'm getting big. I felt the baby kick for the first time today. It was amazing and so strange." Jordan remembers the first time he felt Dante kick. "Oh I bet Joe was upset he missed that."

"I didn't even get a chance to tell him yet. He was getting ready to go out for drinks with the new sound tech guy Sam. I'll tell him tomorrow when he calls me. I guess I'll be seeing you at the Boston shows. I better get to bed, it's been a long day Pops. Love you."

"Love you too sweetie. I'll see you in Boston." Jordan thinks about what Amber said about Joe going out with Sam, the sound tech guy, he hadn't realized Joe and Sam were such good friends. Jordan doesn't have time to think about it, he's got plans of his own tonight.

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Amber sits outside the doctor's office waiting for Joe. She knows they had to rearrange some show dates, but he had promised he'd make it to her appointment so they could find out the sex of the baby. Now it's almost half an hour past her appointment time and she can't keep waiting for Joe.

Over the last month Joe's been pretty absent. They haven't gotten to see each other. They've barely been able to talk. He's been so busy. They added a couple of extra shows to the line up and lost some of their days off. But tonight their show is in New York, only three hours away, he should have been able to make it. Or at least made a fucking phone call. She thought about calling Jordan to get him to check in on Joe to make sure he was okay. But she decides not too. She's going to go to her appointment, find out the sex of their baby, then she'll drag her pregnant ass to New York. Fuck talking on the phone, they need a face to face conversation.

After her appointment Amber tries to call Joe again, straight to voice-mail. So Amber calls Andi, she needs to talk to her best friend, but Andi doesn't answer either. Amber wonders what the fuck is going on. Where did all her people go? Her tribe as disappeared on her. She feels so alone and abandoned.

Amber prepares herself as she arrives at Madison Square Garden, for a hard conversation with her husband. Things can't keep going like they're going. She misses her sweet loving husband. She needs him, she can't go through the rest of this pregnancy alone. She begins to understand maybe a fraction of how Sara Beth felt when she was pregnant with her. It really sucks to feel like you're all alone during such a important time.

Amber almost turns to go as she reaches Joe's bus. She can hear music playing so she knows he's here. Amber doesn't knock, because what wife knocks on her husband's door? She really wishes she had when she walks onto his bus.

Sitting on his couch is a very beautiful woman. She's blonde, thin, and she's absolutely gorgeous. She's dressed down, wearing ripped jeans, a t-shirt and a backwards ball cap, and she still looks like walking, talking sex. Amber's at a loss of words, maybe she got on the wrong bus, Joe's nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this is Donnie or Danny's bus.

The two women just stare at each other. Amber finally speaks, "I'm so sorry, I think I'm on the wrong bus." She turns to go, but the beauty on the couch stops her. "Are you looking for Joe?"

Amber stops dead, dread filling her heart. She says, "Yes" but never turns to look at this woman, who seems very comfortable on this bus. "He just went to the restroom, he'll be right out. Please don't go Amber."

She knows who I am. What the fuck is going on? Amber's mind is racing. Then she hears Joe walk into the room. "Amber?"

She turns to look at him. Rage rushes through her body. "Well I guess I know why you missed my doctor's appointment. I mean who can blame you Joe? I'm sure any man would rather be with this beautiful woman rather than their fat wife. I just wanted to come by and see if you were okay. You look like you're doing way better than okay so I'm going to go. Sorry for interrupting, this!" She motions to the two of them. Joe looks confused, then realization hits him.

"Amber you can't possibly think there's anything going on with Sam and I? You can't be fucking serious. You know me better than that."

"This is Sam? Wow Joe you never bothered to tell me Sam was a woman. A woman you've been spending an awful lot of time with. Tell me Sam, are you fucking my husband? Maybe you'll tell me the truth. Woman to woman. Because my husband's been lying to me about you since day one."

Now Joe's getting angry. "Stop it Amber! You're being ridiculous. I never lied to you about Sam and no I'm not sleeping with her. I'm sorry I missed the appointment but we got in late and there wasn't enough time. I couldn't make it."

"You got in late? Okay why didn't you call me? Let me know?"

"I lost my phone Amber."

"Jordan has a phone. Andi has a phone. They both have my number. I'm sure either of them would have let you use their phone."

Joe can't take her yelling at him. She's not listening to him, and he's not sure she'll believe anything he says. "Jordan and Andi were busy. I said I'm sorry. And I've told you the truth, there is nothing sordid going on with Sam and myself. You can either believe me or not, but I'm not going to keep arguing about it."

"Joe why would I believe you, when I show up, unexpectedly, and I find a woman sitting, very comfortably on your couch. Then I find out this woman is the "Sam" that you've been spending all your spare time with. You made me think Sam was a man. You said Sam's wife had left the tour to go home."

"Oh my God Amber!! Yes, her wife did leave, Sam is married to a woman. I'm so done with this argument. Stop acting like a spoiled brat. I know you were raised an only child, who was adopted, so you were raised believing you were the center of the world. Time to grow the fuck up Amber, it's not always going to be all about you." Joe sits on the couch and he's really, truly done arguing.

"Fine Joe. I'm going home. I might still be there when you get off tour, but then again I might not be." She heads for the door, Joe doesn't move, he doesn't try to stop her. She turns to Joe as she steps off his bus, "Oh by the way, I'm having a boy."