Illusions of the island *A LOST fanfic*

Chapter 17: Time to tell Rachel

Flashback:

Miami, Florida

October 2000

"You should tell Rachel. Juliet she's going to find out sooner rather than later."

Juliet nodded and stared at her computer screen.

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"Hey, how was work?"

Juliet twisted the hem of her shirt and sat down heavily on the couch next to her sister.

"I have something I need to tell you. I'm pregnant."

Rachel gaped at Juliet and raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, but you're not even seeing a guy. Are you dating David? Is it his kid?"

Juliet closed her eyes and then opened them.

"No. I'm not seeing David. I used my research on myself."

Rachel still gaped at Juliet.

"You did what?"

Juliet got up and began to pace.

"I used my research on myself. Anonymous donor."

Rachel stared at Juliet.

"Why?"

Juliet got tears in her eyes.

"I'm doing this for you Rach. I had to make sure that what's affecting you, isn't doing the same for me too."

Rachel's face lit up and she scooted closer to her sister.

"So, do you have the bump? Lemme see."

Juliet sighed and lifted her shirt a little.

"Yes."

Rachel froze and her eyes widened.

"That bump's a little bigger than a grapefruit. How far are you anyways?"

Juliet cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Four months. I've known since June."

Rachel's smile grew more.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Now that we know it works, it's someone else's turn. I also have some good news. My cancer is gone."

Juliet's facial expression dropped in shock.

"Your positive the doctor said it was gone?"

Rachel nodded and smiled.

"Yup. Now I just need to get healthy again. I'm here to see this little one come into the world. Besides, I kind of suspected you were pregnant anyways. You have a little waddle. Does Ed know?"

Juliet looked horrified for a moment.

"Absolutely not Rach. God if he ever found out, he'd lock me away somewhere until this baby was born and then take them away."

Rachel made a face at Juliet's clothes.

"We need to make a shopping trip. Some baby clothes and new clothes for you. Why are you wearing baggy clothes anyways?"

Juliet again began playing with the hem of her shirt.

"I'm hiding it from Ed. David is the only one who knows about this besides you. He's helping me through this."

Rachel's face grew red.

"Really, he's your doctor? Why is it that you get all the cute guys?"

Juliet rolled her eyes and put her shirt down. Her sister was taking this better than she thought.

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"Ok Jules, close your eyes and pick anything that comes from this rack. Whatever you pick, is what the sex of the baby will be."

Juliet shook her head at her sister's reasoning. She knew her sister was just playing a game with her.

"This is silly Rach."

Rachel playfully nudged Juliet and she stuck her hand out and picked an outfit. Opening her eyes, they landed on the yellow sundress in her hands.

"A yellow sundress. Huh. Guess it's a girl."

Rachel snorted behind her cup of tea in the cardboard cup in her hands.

"It's definitely going to be a boy Jules. I've got a nose for these things."

Juliet wanted to laugh at her.

"Yeah, and I remember you saying that about your hamster. She ended up having all girls."

Rachel only shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok, well we still need, a car seat, stroller, a crib, diapers... There's so many things we still need to get Jules. Five months is not that long if you think about it. Oh, let's stop over at Barnes and Noble on the way home. We need to get you some books."

Juliet sat on a comfortable couch inside a local Barnes and Noble. Rachel chose to sit on the floor. She was flipping through a book on Natural childbirth when she stopped on a page in the middle of the book.

"Ah ha. You should do this Jules."

Juliet looked down at the page her sister had been reading and was looking at the picture that accompanied it.

"The only way I'm going through that Rach is if they give me an epidural. No way."

Rachel stared at Juliet and crossed her arms, setting the book in her lap.

"Come on Jules. Besides, water births are supposed to be easier on the body and it helps with the pain. You've helped a lot of women have babies. You said you even helped with a water birth not that long ago."

It was true, Juliet had helped a woman with a water birth not that long ago. It just happened that the clinic was short on doctors, so they pulled a few from the lab.

"Every woman is different Rach. I don't know if this'll work for me or not."

Rachel frowned and flipped through to another page and pointed to it. Juliet knew what the standard looked like.

"You already know what this looks like. I suppose you're going to do things the traditional way, in a hospital bed. Just know I'm going to be right there by your side. Me and 'Mr. good-looking' David."

Juliet shook her head and snorted.

"Actually, you'll be the one by my side Rachel. David already agreed he was going to help me deliver this baby."

Rachel felt her jaw drop.

"You ask him to do everything don't you? You'd swear the two of you were married."

Juliet gave a little laugh.

"No, he actually thinks of me like his sister."

Rachel returned to the book and flipped to the next page.

"Ok, what about this one?"

Juliet shook her head no and made sure no one was watching her.

"I don't think I can hold my legs like that."

The two sisters burst out laughing and Rachel closed the book, placing it back onto the large pile they were getting.

To Be Continued...