September 15, 2001
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Julianna leaned back against the shower door, sliding away from the toilet in which she had just emptied her stomach into. She sighed and pushed her hair back as she swallowed.
"Oh." She groaned and slid down further until she was lying against the cold tiled floor, her cheek pressed against it. She lay still for a few minutes, waiting for the nausea to pass. When it finally did, she slowly pushed herself up, hoping that sitting upright wouldn't force more vomit back up. She managed to stand, gripping the toilet slightly. She straightened and looked at her flushed face in the mirror. She stepped up a few steps, leaned against the counter and placed a lone hand on her abdomen.
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"I'm pregnant, then?" Julianna asked the blonde women wearing a white lab coat. The doctor nodded.
"Yes. It looks like..," She squinted a bit, "four weeks. Sound right?" She asked, looking at Julianna. Julianna smiled weakly.
"Four weeks tomorrow." She said. Dr. Laudendecker nodded.
"I'd say congratulations but you don't sound very enthusiastic." She said. Julianna grinned a bit.
"I'm..still getting used to it. But I'm happy." She said. Dr. Laudendecker nodded.
"Alright, then congratulations." Julianna smiled.
"Thanks. Could we, uh, keep this on the down low, please?" Julianna asked. The blonde woman smiled.
"Patient confidentiality. And I won't tell anyone. I've treated other celebrities with the same request." Julianna drummed up a smile.
"Thanks." She said.
"No problem." Dr. Laudendecker smiled.
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Julianna stood outside her mother's house back in New York. She rang the doorbell and placed her duffel bag on the porch as she waited. Moments later the door opened and Francesca stood on the other side. She smiled at her daughter.
"Julianna! Come in." She said and pulled the door open. Julianna grinned at her mother and brought her bag into the house. "This is a wonderful surprise. What are you doing here?" Francesca asked. Julianna smiled slightly.
"Are you home alone?" She asked. Her mother nodded.
"Yes, Pete went golfing." Francesca said, talking about her husband, Julianna's step-father. "He won't be back for a few more hours." Francesca ticked her head a bit, studying her daughter's face with concern. "What is it, baby?" Julianna's face immediately crumpled and the tears began to fall. Francesca came quickly forward and wrapped her daughter up in her arms. Julianna buried her face in her mother's neck and sobbed.
"Oh, Mama." She said.
"Shh." Francesca lead Julianna into the living room and pulled her down on the couch and rocked her like she had when things had gone wrong in Julianna's childhood. It had been so long since she had heard her youngest daughter sob like she was now and Francesca wondered what could make the strong woman turn this way in her mother's arms. Finally Julianna settled down and she pulled away from her mother but stayed close. "What is it, Julianna? What's wrong with my baby?" Julianna sighed and sniffled.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Julianna asked.
"Of course. You know you can. What's the matter?" Francesca asked.
"I took today off work and tomorrow's my normal day off work. Anyway," Julianna continued before Francesca could interrupt. "Four weeks ago something happened." She sighed and met her mother's matching hazel eyes with her own. "I was with George one day. We got off work early and I went with him to his house because he invited me to have dinner with himself and his girlfriend, Celine." She paused and Francesca nodded. "Well, we heard a noise upstairs and so we went up and found Celine..in bed, with another man." Francesca's jaw dropped slightly. "Anyway, so George began to beat the guy up but I finally convinced him to stop." Julianna paused.
"And, I...George left the room and I followed him and we waited until we heard them leave. For some reason George went into the spare room because..I think because he wouldn't be able to see them when they left but he'd hear them. So, he was upset and I was hugging him, comforting him. And...We slept together." Julianna looked down, ashamed, not able to see her mother's reaction. Her voice hitched as the tears came back to her eyes but didn't fall. "George then proceeded to pretend nothing had happened. We had dinner and then I went home." Julianna paused and looked up into her mother's eyes. "I was..heart-broken because..Oh, Ma, I love him. So much, I just.." She broke and her head dropped again.
"Oh, baby." Francesca gathered Julianna up again, but Julianna forced the tears back and she shifted away again.
"Ma, listen. I..Yesterday I found out I'm pregnant." Julianna said. Francesca's eyes widened slightly. She had been expecting that but she wasn't really quite prepared for it. Her baby girl was pregnant. Francesca paused.
"Have you told him yet?" She asked. The tears began to fall once more. Julianna shook her head and swallowed.
"No. Not yet, I couldn't..yet. I..He'll hate me. He doesn't want kids. He didn't even really want me." She paused and wiped frantically at her tears. "I know you're disappointed in me, Ma, because I'm not married." Julianna said, knowing how religious her mother was.
"Oh, baby, I'm not disappointed in you. In George, maybe, because he ignored what happened, ignored your feelings. I know you didn't mean to get pregnant." Julianna sniffled and wiped away another trickling tear. Then the sobs came because she wasn't strong enough to stop them.
"I..love..him..so much,..Ma. He won't want..this..baby." Another sob. "But I..do. So..much. Already, so much."
"I know, darling, I know." Francesca gathered her daughter into her arms and held on tightly.
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Julianna spent the rest of Saturday and some of Sunday at her mother's house before she headed back to California. She didn't go home after she left LAX airport, she went straight to George's, determined to tell him now but as nervous as she could possibly be.
She wiped her hands on her jeans before she reached up and pressed her finger to the doorbell. A few moments later the door opened and George stood on the other side, wearing jeans and and old t-shirt and no socks. The t-shirt stretched across the muscles of his chest and made her insides quiver but she forced her eyes upward and she looked into his eyes.
"Hey." He said. She nodded.
"Hi." He motioned for her to come in and so she did.
"Take off your shoes and coat. Make yourself at home." He said and headed back into the living room where he had been nursing a beer and watching a basketball game. She followed him.
"Actually, I can't stay long." She said.
"Oh?" He asked and glanced over his shoulder at her. She swallowed.
"Uh, there's something we need to talk about." She said. His insides flipped, hoping she didn't want to discuss...that. Part of him wished it had never happened and the other part wanted to gather her in his arms and take her again right where they stood. He bent over the recliner and picked up the remote as he muted the TV. Then he flopped onto the couch and patted the place beside him. She sat down but stayed a good foot away, avoiding body contact.
"Alright." He said quietly. She looked down at her hands and nibbled her bottom lip slightly.
"I um..There's something I have to tell you." She said. His stomach churned and he took a sip of his beer before placing it back on the coffee table.
"Go ahead." He said.
"Well..I don't really know how to tell you this. So, I'm just going to come right out and say it." She paused and gave him enough time to begin sweating. "I'm pregnant." His entire world froze and a strange buzzing noise filled his ears. He stared at her and she watched him, studying his now pale face. His reaction. And his reaction caused her stomach to sink with the weight of a thousand bricks.
"You're sure?" He finally asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. I've been to the doctor." She said. He swallowed.
"It's mine?" He asked. A quick flash of hurt appeared in her eyes but she nodded.
"Yes."
"You're sure?" He asked again. She looked away but not until he saw the real pain he caused her.
"Yes." She said so softly he barely heard her.
"Okay." He said slowly. She shifted.
"I just," She looked up, "wanted you to know. I uh, I'm keeping the baby, so." She paused. "You don't have to do anything..about it. I just thought," She stood, "that you had the right to know, considering.." She stopped and looked at him. He stared back at her but didn't answer. Finally she turned and walked quickly back out through the way she came, out the door and into the night. She rushed quickly to her car and drove down George's driveway, past the bend. Then she slowed to a stop and lowered her forehead to the steering wheel. Tears blinded her for a few moments but she gritted her teeth and forced them back. Then she whispered.
"We'll be alright on our own, baby."
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"I'm pregnant." Julianna sat in a room full of producers, writers, directors, and all the rest of the behind-the-scenes guys. They all were silent for a few moments before John Wells spoke.
"Congratulations." He said. Other congratulations were murmured throughout the room. She nodded.
"Thank you." She managed.
"Well, it's good that you told us before we started filming season four." Michael Crichton said. Julianna nodded.
"I wanted you to be able to do what you needed with the writing and everything." She said quietly.
"I think this could be a good storyline. We could have Carol become accidentally pregnant with Doug and have their problems and everything with that..Before Carol is really ready to have children with him." John said and glanced at Michael. Michael nodded. Some of the writers jotted down a little note about it on yellow legal pads. "Do you think that could work?" John asked the them. They nodded.
"Ideas are already forming." One of them replied. John smiled and turned back to Julianna.
"Good timing." He said. Julianna smiled.
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