Safety Net

37

Weeks had passed and they had finally set a date for the wedding. Meredith had pestered Alex at work about it since the day of the proposal. April sixteenth, he told her, that's the day I marry Jo. And you'll be my best man. He loved telling people he was marrying Jo. Her name had to be in the sentence. They had to know.

Today, Jo was going dress shopping with Meredith, Stephanie, Lexie, and of course, Hazel. She was beyond excited to get a little dress for her daughter. She already knew she'd make the most adorable flower girl.

She picked Hazel up, out of her crib. They had been working on sleep training. Alex was definitely better at laying her down than Jo was, but it was still a difficult task for the new parents. "How is my almost three month old?" She cooed, planting a kiss on her little lips. Hazel was much better with holding her head up now, however Jo still had her hands behind her head. She didn't fully trust her yet. "Guess what we're doing today, Hazelnut?" She laid her in her crook of her arm while she picked out an outfit. She pulled out burgundy overalls and a white long sleeve onesie with little flowers on it. She continued to talk to her as she changed her. She nursed her while she ate a banana. Hazel continuously reached for the banana; Jo gently pushed her hand away every time.

After breakfast, Jo getting ready, and yet another diaper change, they were ready and were off to the bridal shop. She walked into the store with Hazel's car seat in one hand and her light pink diaper bag over her shoulder. She walked up to Meredith "Can you.. take her.." She heaved. Meredith grinned. She found a chair, and seconds later the two and a half month old was in her arms.

"Hi, sweetie." Meredith cooed at Hazel as Jo sat down, waiting for Stephanie and Lexie. Meredith held and talked to Hazel for the next fifteen minutes before the others showed up.

Jo greeted them before walking off with an employee. She picked out a few dresses and tried them on.

She walked out in the first one. It was a sweetheart neckline with a lot of poof, and a rhinestone belt. "Not the one?" Lexie asked, seeing the look on her face. She was now holding Hazel.

"No. It's too.. poofy." She said, patting the skirt on the dress "And it's just not my style." She stepped down from the large round stool. She walked back to the dressing room. This continued for a while. She was seven dresses in and hadn't found one she liked. The others were getting tipsy on champagne, and Hazel was hungry. "I'm going to feed her. Can you all go pick me dresses??" She asked, sitting down and taking the baby from Stephanie. She pulled her shirt down and helped her latch on.

A while later, the three returned with three equally simple and beautiful dresses. Hazel was finished, and Jo was now rocking her to sleep. She laid her in her car seat and covered her in a blanket before taking the dresses and trying them on. First was Stephanie's. It had a lace bodice that trailed into the tule skirt. "I really like it, but I don't know." She looked at herself in the mirror. Next was Lexie's. Hers was the least simple of the group. The whole thing was lace. It had sleeves and an open back. "Again, it's beautiful, but it's just not me." She sighed. She thought she'd never find a dress, that is until she tried on Merediths. It had a deep v neckline and it was made from a material that looked like silk. The back of the bodice was lace. She smiled as she stepped in front of the mirrors. Everyone could already tell this was the one.

"I love it." Lexie commented, grinning.

"Me too." Jo quietly spoke, continuing to look at it. This made it all so much more real. She married Alex Karev in a month, in this dress, and their daughter got to be a part of it.

n/a this chapter took me so long to complete ugh. the next one will be better i hope