She never noticed the way the rain pattered across the ground before. Dashing madly about, making a lulling sound. She shivered slightly as she watched the rain coming down outside the window of her bedroom. She looked over across her room, looking at the bathroom light shining on. She then turned her head, looking at the clock beside her bed. Julianna stood, standing and watching the bathroom door, as if waiting for a tiger to leap out from the depths of the room and attack her. She took a few slow, tentative steps towards the door. She stopped as she reached the bathroom door.
Julianna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She walked in and stared down at the counter.
Oh God. It was blue.
She spun on her heel and ran out of the room. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. She stopped at the fridge, gripping the door tightly as she breathed hard.
No. Oh God. It couldn't be happening. Not now. She gulped in a deep breath of air as she struggled to stay calm. She turned around and leaned her back against the cool exterior before she slid to the floor. A single tear slid down her cheek before she began to sob uncontrollably. She curled into a ball on the floor as she cried, letting her anguish out through the small rivers on her cheeks.
She was pregnant.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Ron sat at home, reading the newspaper. Julianna was out at the market, getting stuff to eat. The phone rang, annoying Ron. He reached over, picking up the black cordless phone.
"Hello?" He asks, his voice short.
"Yes, this is Dr. Park's office, calling to confirm Julianna's appointment tomorrow at 3:30." A woman's voice says on the other end. Ron's brow furrowed as he racked his brain for the doctor's specialty.
"Uh...yeah, okay." He says.
"Thank you." She says.
"Yeah, bye." He says and hangs up. He sat thinking until his mind registered that it was her OB/GYN. He gave a puzzled sigh, he thought she had just seen her GYN a few months ago for a check-up, it wasn't time for another one yet, was it?
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Julianna lugged in a few grocery bags into the house, throwing her keys on the table and piling her bags beside the keys. When she looked up, Ron was standing in front of her. She smiled.
"Hey Ron." She says.
"What is your appointment for tomorrow?" He asks. She stops cold, her heart beginning to race.
"What are you talking about?" She asks, trying desperately to keep her cool.
"When you were gone Dr. Parks office called to confirm your appointment. You just had one about two months ago. Why are you going again so soon? Are you pregnant?" Ron asks. She stares at him before nodding her head ever-so-slightly.
"Yes." She whispers. He shakes his head.
"Were you planning on telling me that I'm going to be a father? Did it ever occur to you that I would want to know if my girlfriend was going to have my baby? Did it?" He asks. He doesn't wait for her answer as he turns on his heel. "I'm going out." He says, his voice hard as he walks away from her. She just stands there, shocked at what had happened. She let him go, not wanting to tell him that the baby may not be his. She sighed and began putting groceries away.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Julianna sat in the living room, her head in her hands as a million thoughts ran through her head all at once. She jumped as the phone ring. She reached over, taking it into her hands and clicking it on.
"Hello?" She asks tiredly into the phone.
"Julianna?" She hears a male's voice ask through the phone. She immediately sits up, her heart pounding.
"George?" She asks.
"Yeah, it's me." He says quietly. She shakes her head shortly, clearing her throat. "I, uh..I just wanted to call.." He says, pausing as he coughs softly. "Wanted to see how you were?" He says.
"I'm fine." She answers quietly, barely managing to talk.
"That's..that's good, Jules. Uh.." He says.
"George, I'm pregnant." She blurted out. He was silent, stunned, never expecting this. Tears filled her eyes. "I don't know if...if, it's yours, or, or Ron's." She says, tears streaming down her face. "I just..I wasn't expecting this. How could this have happened? My God, why now?" She blurts out to him, babbling through her tears.
"Jules.." He says softly, his voice unbelievable.
"I know..I know. I'm so, so sorry, George. I didn't want this to happen." She whispers, choking on her cries.
"I'll be right over!" George says.
"No..George, no." She whispers.
"Yes, Jules, I'm coming." He says and hangs up. She sobs, shutting the phone off and dropping it onto the couch. Her hand moves up, covering her mouth as she shakes, alone on her couch.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
The doorbell rings and she slowly makes her way to the door, her eyes red and wet, her cheeks swollen from her crying. She opens it up and she sees George standing in front of her. It's the first time she's seen him since the night. That night. As soon as she sees him, she burst into a fresh fit of tears.
"I'm sorry." She manages to choke out. He pulls her into his arms, hugging her to him as he rubs her back, trying to sooth her. This just makes her cry harder. He shuts the door of the house, shutting the world out behind them.
"Shhh...shh..it'll be okay." He says. He pulls her away, holding her at arm's length. "Where's Ron?" George asks.
"He..he left..after...he found out..that I hadn't told him. He found...out..when..my OB doctor called...to confirm." Julianna says, not able to look him in the eyes. He nods.
"When did he leave?" George asks.
"Almost two hours ago." She replies. He nods.
"Will he be back?" George asks.
"Probably." She says. George nods.
"He thinks he's the father, though, right?" George asks.
"I haven't told him that he may not be." Julianna replies. George nods.
"I probably shouldn't be here when you tell him." George says. Julianna nods, agreeing. Just as she does, the door opens and Ron steps in, startling George and Julianna. George's hands fall away from Julianna's shoulders. Ron sees her crying.
"What's going on, here?" He asks, looking at George and stepping further into the house. Julianna hangs her head and George's mouth falls open, but nothing comes out.
"He came over because I was upset." Julianna replies. Ron nods.
"I uh, I should go." George says, moving towards the door.
"Stay." Julianna says. He stops and turns around, searching her face. He can see the small amount of fear she has in her eyes and he nods.
"Okay." He says. Ron looks confused.
"What's going on?" Ron asks.
"We need to talk." Julianna says. Ron nods.
"Okay." He says slowly.
"Not here." Julianna says, turning and heading to the living room. She sits on the couch and Ron sits next to her. George sits in the chair across from the couch.
"What?" Ron asks, growing impatient from their behavior.
"Uh...as you know, I'm pregnant." Julianna says. Ron nods.
"So, you told him?" He asks, pointing at George. Julianna nods.
"Yes." Julianna replies.
"Before or after you told me?" Ron asks. Julianna sighs.
"After." She says. George shakes his head, annoyed by Ron's childish behavior.
"Good." Ron says, his voice slightly hard. Julianna hangs her head.
"Ron...there's something you need to know." Julianna says, looking up at him.
"What?" He asks. She takes a deep breath.
"This....this baby..." she swallows.
"What?" Ron asks.
"This baby...may not..be yours." Julianna manages to get out. Ron sits there, stunned, as he stares at her. Then he takes a deep, realizing breath and claps his hands down onto his knees.
"Are you trying to tell me that he," Ron stands up, pointing at George, "fucked you and may have gotten you pregnant?" Ron asks, staring hard at George.
"Ron, don't.." Julianna says, not wanting him to use such harsh words.
"What? How should I react, Julianna? Should I be okay with this?" Ron asks. She shakes her head.
"No...no." She replies.
"When...did that happen?" Ron asks, motioning between the two of them, but not saying it.
"You were in New York and George and I didn't want to go to the Golden Globes alone, so I went with him. Since he won, we had a lot to drink and it...just happened." Julianna says, hanging her head in shame. George looks away from her, it's to painful for him to see her like this.
"Oh that's great. That's fantastic!" Ron says, moving back around the couch, pacing.
"I'm sorry, Ron." Julianna states softly. He shakes his head, ignoring her.
"I want a test!" He says finally, looking at Julianna fiercely.
"What?" She asks.
"I want that amino test...to find out if it's mine!" Ron says.
"But.." She starts.
"No buts." He says.
"It could hurt the baby." She says.
"It won't hurt the baby, it's been done a bunch of times before. I need to know if this baby is mine or not!" He says. Julianna nods, bringing her hand up and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"Okay, but we have to wait until I'm in my 14th week, that's the soonest they will do it." She says. Ron nods.
"Fine." He says.
"How far are you?" George asks, speaking up for the first time since this all began.
"2 weeks." She whispers. George sits back in the chair, letting his head rest on the back of it as he watches her. Ron stands again, pacing.
"12 weeks! I have to wait 12 weeks?" He asks. He moves back around the couch once again, pacing. Julianna looks away, tears filling her eyes as she places a lone hand on her stomach. George watches her until she looks at him. He smiles reassuringly, wanting to comfort her more, but knew if he moved any closer to her, Ron would probably have his head. "I can't believe this." Ron mutters. He turns around, looking at George, his gaze hard and threatening. Ron raises his hand, point a strong finger at George. "I want you out of this house. I don't want you near her until she needs you for the test." Ron says.
"Ron." Julianna starts to protest.
"No, Julianna." Ron says, still staring at George. "You should leave now." Ron says. George stands, looking at Julianna quickly before he makes his way to the door. Julianna watches him go, upset with Ron and frightened all at the same time.
"Ron, you shouldn't have said that." Julianna says after George leaves. Ron turns to her.
"I don't want him anywhere near you. He's done enough damage." Ron says. Julianna shakes her head.
"It was an accident." Julianna argues.
"What? I suppose you just fell onto him, right?" Ron asks. Julianna's mouth drops open before she stands.
"I can't believe you just said that!" She says. They stand, facing each other, hands on hips, upset.
"I can't believe this is happening at all! I can't believe YOU!" He spits out. She turns on her heels and exits the room quickly, heading back to the bedroom. She shuts the door behind her, locking it and going into the bathroom, locking the door behind her there also. She turns on the shower, wanting some noise, hoping to drowned out her cries from him. She moves to the corner of the counter and the wall and she slides down to the floor. She curls her legs up and she places her hands on her stomach.
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry this had to happen to you. You don't deserve this." She whispers and begins to cry softly.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Julianna sighed and looked out the window of her limo. She was in New York, almost ready to start The Ten Unknowns for the first time. She knew that as soon as she stepped out of the limo, all her fans would want pictures and autographs, and they would want to talk. She wasn't sure she could handle it tonight, let alone for 2 whole months. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. You can do this, Julianna. Pull it together, she thinks and before she can argue with herself, she opens the door of the limo, stepping out of it and taking a deep breath. She saw a few fans that had already recognized her, and she made her way towards them.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Julianna was on the stage, reciting a part in the play, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw George. She almost stopped, but knew she couldn't, so she kept going, but she became more aware of him, watching him when she had the chance. She shook her head slightly, trying to focus on the play. Finally they had a curtain call for the break. She sighed and walked off stage and walked towards George.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, rather annoyed. He shrugs.
"Ron won't let me see you, so...I thought I would come see you when he might not be here. And apparently he's not." George says.
"He's not. God, George, I couldn't focus on the damn play." She whispers.
"I'm sorry, look, I just wanted to see how things were, if everything's alright." George says.
"Everything's fine. I'm fine." She says. He hesitates before asking his next question.
"And..the baby?" He asks. A smile passes over her lips, but quickly disappears.
"It's fine. I uh, I had an appointment the other day, Dr. Parks said everything's good." Julianna says. He smiles.
"Good, that's great." He whispers. She nods.
"Well..I've gotta go..y'know?" She says. He nods.
"Yeah..uh, I better go so I don't distract you the whole time." He says. She nods and kisses his cheek briefly.
"G'night George." She says, before turning and walking away from him. He sighs and rubs his hand over his face before he turns and walks out of the theater.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"Yeah, this is Julianna." Julianna says into her telephone.
"Oh, hey Julianna." A man's voice greets her. She's talking to Jeff Donald, her agent.
"I need to talk to you." She says.
"Alright, I'm not busy, go ahead." He says. She takes a deep breath.
"I can't do The Man from Elysian Fields." She says. There's a silence.
"What?" He asks.
"Look, something came up, and for like the next 10 months or longer, I can't do anything. No movies, no nothing." Julianna says.
"Aren't you still in the middle of The Ten Unknowns?" He asks.
"Yes, for two more weeks, and I can't do anything else after that for probably around 10 months." She says.
"Mind telling me why?" Jeff asks.
"I uh, it's personal." She says.
"I'm your agent, shouldn't I at least know?" He asks.
"Uh, no, not this." She says. He sighs.
"Fine. Fine, I'll call up the guys and tell 'em you can't do the movie." He says.
"Thank you." She says.
"Yep." He says.
"Thanks Jeff, I know this isn't easy for you." She says. He lets out a short laugh.
"Yeah, you got that right. Well I better go.....call them." He says.
"Right. Bye." She says.
"Bye." Jeff says and hangs up. She sighs and throws her cell phone down onto the couch.
"God dammit." She murmurs under her breath.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
Julianna walked into the door of her house. She was finally back in California after her big long trip to New York to do the play. She sighed and plopped down on the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table and rubbing her stomach, which was beginning to swell during her 12th week. She sighed and looked at her hands as she rubbed her fingers over her stomach.
"You're wearing me out, kid." She whispers under her breath. Just then she saw Ron coming down the steps. Dammit, she thinks to herself.
"Jules?" He asks.
"Yeah?" She replies wearily as he comes into the room.
"You just get back?" He asks. She sighs softly.
"Yes." She says. He nods, sitting beside her on the couch.
"How are you?" He asks.
"Tired. In fact, I think I'm going to go to bed." She says. He nods as she stands, walking towards the hall.
"Jules?" He calls out. She turns around, one hand on her stomach.
"Yeah?" She asks, exasperated.
"This is week 12, right?" He asks. She sighs.
"Yes Ron, it is." She says and turns, making her way up the stairs.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"I don't want him to be here with us." Ron says. Julianna sighs.
"Ron, he has to be, it's required. Plus, he has a right to be here and he wants to be here. This baby may be his, y'know." Julianna says. Ron shoots her a look.
"Fine, but I don't have to be happy about this." Ron says.
"No one said you had to be." Julianna says as she opens the door of the car, stepping out. She smiles weakly at George. He smiles quickly and nods, shifting nervously on his feet. Julianna shuts her door and walks towards him. She smiles.
"Hey George." She says. He nods.
"How are you?" He asks.
"Good." She says as Ron walks up to them. George nods at him, but doesn't say anything. "Well...let's go." She says nervously. George nods and they turn and walk towards the entrance, Ron behind them, sulking. Julianna wrings her sweaty hands together as George opens the door of the building and lets the two of them walk in first. Ron walks through after giving George an evil look. Julianna turns around briefly and makes sure the two of them are coming.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"Dr. Reed will see the three of you now." A nurse says. The three of them stand from their seats in the waiting room. Julianna swallows nervously as she follows the nurse. George and Ron walk behind them. She leads them into a room, decorated in blue. "Dr. Reed will be in shortly with the results." The nurse says and then exits. Ron stares at George, his expression hard. George looks around uncomfortably and Julianna sits down in a chair as she watches the two men.
"So..this is it, huh?" George asks, trying to lighten up the situation. Julianna nods and she feels like she's going to puke. "You okay?" George asks her. She tries to smile and she nods her head.
"Yeah..I'm okay." She says. He nods, not believing her, but not wanting to push. The door opens and a skinny blonde woman walks into the room.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Reed." She says.
"Hi." The three of them reply nervously. She smiles.
"First, I'd like you to know that the baby is fine, absolutely healthy. We found out the sex if you'd like to know." Dr. Reed says.
"No, thank you." Julianna says. Dr. Reed nods.
"Going for a surprise?" She asks.
"Something like that." Julianna replies, her smile soft. Dr. Reed nods.
"Alright, are we ready for this?" Dr. Reed asks them. They all nod nervously.
"Okay...Julianna you have type A blood. George you have AB. Ron you have O. The baby has type O. Genetically, a mother with type A blood and a father with type AB blood, cannot have an O baby. Therefore, Ron you are the father of this baby." George's face falls but Ron shakes his head.
"No..." He says. Julianna looks at him, a hurt look on her face. "I have type AB blood. Last year, we went and gave blood to the Red Cross, they said I have AB. I even have a card." Ron says. He gets out his wallet and shows the doctor his card. Indeed, it does say AB. She looks puzzled.
"That's right. I do remember that." Julianna says softly, her brow furrowing.
"Something can't be right. Our tests say you have O, there's no way your blood type could have a changed." Dr. Reed says.
"Should we get another test?" George asks.
"Yes. We probably should. All three of you need to be tested again." She says.
"All three of us?" Julianna asks, "Not the baby?"
"No, not the baby. We will only need to test the baby if we get the same results on this test as last time, just to make sure." Dr. Reed says.
"Will we know today? Or will we have to wait again?" Ron asks.
"Well....If we get the blood now, it won't take long to type it up again. I'll get a rush on it. If you could all wait here, I'll go get someone to get your types and then you can either go back to the waiting room, or stay in here while I get the results." She says. George and Julianna nod as Dr. Reed exits the room.
"I can't fucking believe this." Ron says.
"Ron, please don't." Julianna says.
"Don't what?" He asks.
"Just calm down, please." She says. He sighs and paces across the floor. Julianna looks at George and he smiles softly at her. She looks at him for a few seconds before she looks towards the door as Dr. Reed and the nurse from earlier come into the room.
"Nurse Mathers is going to help take your blood." Dr. Reed says. They nod as they get their blood taken and the nurse labels it correctly. "You can either wait here or in the waiting room, it should be less than an hour." Dr. Reed says.
"Thank you." George says. She smiles and nods and exits the room.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"I can't just sit here, I'm going to go out to the waiting room, see if they have some magazines or something." Ron says. Julianna nods and he exits the room.
"How are you doing?" George asks her, moving over to sit beside her.
"I'm okay. Nervous, I guess. At least the baby is okay." Julianna says. He nods.
"Yeah, I'm happy about that. I wish this mix-up wouldn't have happened though, I don't want you to worry. Stress can hurt the baby." He says. She nods.
"I'm trying to stay calm." She says, leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes before taking a deep breath.
"No matter what happens, you're going to be a wonderful mother." George says. She opens her eyes and smiles at him.
"Thank you George." She says. He smiles and nods just as the door opens. They both lean forward, but it's only Ron, returning with a magazine. Julianna resumes her position and George leans forward in his seat, propping his elbows up on his knees and his chin in his hands as the three of them wait impatiently.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
50 minutes after Dr. Reed had last left, the door to the room opened. Julianna, George, and Ron all looked up expectantly. Dr. Reed walked into the room.
"I'm sorry for your wait." She says. The three of them nod.
"So, did you find something or do you need more blood?" Ron asks, his voice edgy. Julianna sighs in exasperation, annoyed with him.
"I found out the cause of the problem. We have a fairly new nurse on staff. The day you three came in to get your blood taken, she is the nurse that took it. We've taught our nurses to label the vial before putting it back on the tray, but apparently she forgot this rule and she labeled the vials wrong. Ron, you were right, you do have AB blood. George, you have O. Julianna's wasn't mixed up and she does have A. The baby has O. Apparently, George, you are the father." Dr. Reed says. The three of them are stunned, silent, but George has a relieved look on his face. Ron stands up and looks at the two of them, his face red in anger. He shakes his head before he quietly exits the room. Julianna looks down, playing with her fingers as she nibbles on her bottom lip, trying desperately not to cry. Dr. Reed sits with them silently before she speaks. "If you want to take legal actions, I fully understand." Dr. Reed says.
"No, that's not necessary." Julianna says, looking up at the blonde woman.
"Okay." She nods. "We didn't need to take the baby's blood again because we have special nurses for that, and I was there during that process and I know everything is correct." Dr. Reed says.
"Thank you." Julianna whispers.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"Do you need a ride home?" George asks. She smiles.
"No, that's okay. I'll call my Mom." She says.
"I can take you home. It's not a problem." George says.
"I need to talk to my Mom anyways. She doesn't know about this yet, I'll just call her." Julianna says.
"I can take you there." George says.
"I said no, George. I'm fine!" Julianna says, raising her eyebrows. He nods, backing away a little bit.
"Okay, fine.....can I call you sometime soon?" George asks. She shrugs.
"If you want." She says.
"Of course I want to." He says. She shrugs.
"Okay then, call." She says. He nods and moves closer to her. He leans in, kissing her cheek gently.
"Good bye Jules." He says.
"Bye." She says, then turns her away from him and taking her cell phone out of her pocket. He sighs and turns around, walking towards his jeep.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)
"Julianna, what were you doing at Dr. Reed's office?" Francesca asks as they enter her house.
"Mom...we need to talk." Julianna says.
"Okay, so talk." Her mother says.
"You might want to sit." Julianna says.
"Okay." Her mother says, giving her a confused glance, as she takes a sit on her couch. Julianna sits beside her.
"This is going to be really confusing, Mom." Julianna says.
"Okay, I'm ready." Francesca replies.
"I think...." Julianna clears her throat. "Ron and I broke up." Julianna says.
"You what?" Her mother asks, shocked.
"About....15 weeks ago, I went to the Golden Globes with George. You knew that." Julianna says. Her mother nods.
"Yes." She says, her brow furrowing, wondering what George has to do with Ron and her breaking up.
"Well...as you know, George won an award." Julianna says. Her mother nods. "And...we went to all those after parties y'know? And we had a few too many drinks." Julianna continues. Her mother shakes her head slightly, all too confused. Julianna sighs deeply, running her fingers through her hair nervously. "George and I.....we....I...we slept together." Julianna says. Her mother's eyes widen.
"And Ron?" She asks.
"He was in New York and he didn't find out until about two weeks later that something was up. Well...it's complicated." Julianna says.
"Just tell me." Her mother says. Julianna closes her eyes briefly.
"I'm pregnant." She whispers. Her mother is silent and when Julianna opens her eyes to look at her mother, Francesca's mouth is wide open.
"And.....you found out today at Dr. Reed's office that George is the father and so Ron left you." Francesca finishes. Julianna's eyes well up with tears.
"Yes." She whispers. "I don't know what to do...This was never supposed to happen. God, Mom."
"Oh Baby." Her mother says and reaches her arms out to Julianna. Julianna moves into her mother's embrace, hugging her as she cries.
"What do I do now?" Julianna asks, needing her mother's advice.
"I don't know baby. I don't know. We'll figure something out." She says. Julianna sobs.
"I want this...baby..but..I can't do..this alone, Mama." She says. Her mother smooths her hair down.
"It's okay. Shhh...everything will be just fine." Her mother says.
(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)-(e)(r)