JUSTIN 

Emmett and I made up Jenny’s room while we waited for the others to get home. Brian called and told me Jenny was already asleep. Emmett was nervous about telling Drew and kept saying he could wait.

“How long are you planning to wait? Drew is going to notice when you start showing.” I tell him. 

“He hasn't noticed yet.” He mumbles. 

“Emmett, exactly how far along are you?” I ask him.

“The doctor told me we might be able to tell the sex at my next appointment.” He tells me. 

“Emmett that's usually around month four or five. What were you going to do wait till it's born?” I ask him. 

“I didn’t know I was pregnant till last month when I went for a check up. Then I hinted to Drew that we should consider having one and he kept saying it was something we should talk about before we do it.” He tells me. 

“So you're waiting for what?” I ask him. 

“What if he thinks I got pregnant behind his back?” He asks me. 

“I don’t know him well enough to say how he'd react, but if he knows you at all, he knows you're not that kind of a person.” I tell him.   

“I'm probably creating a problem where there isn't one. I always thought we would have planned a baby, not accidentally gotten pregnant.” He tells me. 

“Accident or not, I wouldn’t care.” Drew tells him from the doorway. 

“But you acted like you wanted to wait.” Emmett tells him. 

“I did, but obviously we aren’t going to.” Drew smiles as Emmett runs to him.

Brian walks in with Jenny in his arms, raises an eyebrow at Drew and Emmett. Emmett looks over at Brian.

“Drew and I are having a baby.” Emmett tells him smiling.

“Congratulations.” He tells them. 

We put Jenny in bed and she stays asleep. Drew and Emmett wave bye and leave us with Jenny. 

“I wondered how long it would take Drew to notice Emmett’s weight gain.” Brian whispers. 

“You knew?” I ask him. 

“Suspected. Emmett started slacking off at the gym. Then he was coming out of the shower and I noticed the bump. I just figured he was gaining weight at first. Then he started caressing his stomach more, so I just assumed they weren’t telling anyone yet.” He tells me. 

“He said he just found out last month.” I tell him. 

“Emmett deserves to be a father. He can love without conditions.” He tells me. 

“We kind of talked about it. He was asking if I wanted another baby, before he told me.” I tell him. 

“Do you?” Brian asks. 

“I honestly don't know if I need another one. Right now we're dealing with three.” I tell him. 

“I'd have to get tested to see if the chemo made it impossible for me to father a child.” He tells me. 

“You didn’t check when you had it?” I ask, stunned that he told me.

“I didn’t see a reason to, but if you want one then we'll find out.” He tells me. 

“You're not mad I know?” I ask him. 

“I guess Ted told Emmett?” He asks me. 

“I don’t think Emmett meant to tell me.” I tell him. 

“I planned to tell you. We aren’t going to hide things if we want us to work.” He tells me. 

I get up and go to him. He opens his arms and I hide my face in his chest, as the tears run down my cheeks. Brian walks us to his room and sits me down on the bed.

“I'm fine. The cancer didn’t spread and I've been clear for ten years.” He tells me.

“I left you alone to deal with it.” I tell him. 

“If you'd been here, I most likely would have hidden it from you.” He tells me. 

“Why?” I ask him. 

“I wouldn’t have been perfect anymore.” He tells me. 

“I wouldn’t have cared.” I tell him. 

“It wouldn’t have mattered. I wasn't going to be someone you stayed with because I was sick.” He tells me. 

“I loved you, to me it's what you do. It wouldn’t have been any different to me than you taking care of me after the bashing.” I tell him. 

“It was the first time you needed me, and it made me understand that part of the reason I kept you at a distance was you never needed me for anything.” He tells me. 

“I needed you when my parents kicked me out.” I tell him. 

“Justin you would have found a way to take care of yourself. You were always capable of that, I just wanted you safe. It’s why I let you live at the loft.” He tells me. 

“Just so you know, I always needed you.” I tell him. 

“One of the reasons I wanted you around was because you never made me feel like I had to do things for you to stay. You never made me feel like I had to buy your feelings for me. When you left, I figured you were tired of the crap I put you through. I just always assumed you'd come back and I would be able to tell you I was ready for more.” He tells me. 

“I should have come back sooner.” I tell him. 

“In a way you came back when I needed you the most.” He tells me. 

LINDSAY 

Mel better explain what she was thinking. I was counting on keeping Jenny. Mel put all her savings into an account for Jenny and told me I would have access to it if something happened to her. At the time I let it go because Brian was sending money for Gus, but now I need it to pay for things. I waited for them to bring Mel to the room. She walked in looking more tired than I've ever seen her.

“What do you want?” She asks me. 

“I want to know why you gave Justin custody of Jenny.” I tell her. 

“It’s really none of your business.” She tells me. 

“I'm her mother, so of course it's my business.” I tell her. 

“I could say it was to hurt you or to put Brian in the middle of the drama you and Michael are going to cause, but the truth is Justin will just love her. The way he loves Gus and Brian, I want that for her.” She tells me. 

“You don’t think I love her?” I ask her. 

“I don’t think you know how to love anyone.” She tells me. 

“I love Gus.” I tell her. 

“No, you love that Brian is Gus’s father. You twist things to make people think you love them, but when we step out of line, you use everything in your arsenal to make us pay.” She tells me. 

“I was planning on raising Jenny so she would know you. Now, because you think Justin would love her more you'll never see her.” I tell her. 

“I think your thinking Justin would be as selfish as we were. Justin doesn’t think that way.” She tells me. 

“Justin isn't as innocent as you make him out to be, he kept his son away from Brian, who he supposedly loves. What makes you think he is going to let you see Jenny, after what you did to him? I'm sure he hates your guts for it.” I tell her. 

“It's funny that you keep acting like Justin thinks the way you do. You want to know the first thing he said to me when he came here?” She asks me. 

“That your a cunt.” I tell her. 

“Nope, that he wouldn’t hate me, he just didn’t like what I did to him and Brian. Even after I betrayed him, he still didn’t hate me. It's hard for me to understand how he could still talk to me. Don’t get me wrong, he told me Brian would have custody too, as his revenge for what I did, but in the end he and Brian are going to give her a good life.” She tells me. 

“I guess there isn't much more to say is there, except that I need to start settling everything in Canada. We need to get papers drawn up so I can do that.” I tell her. 

“I already have that taken care of.” She tells me. 

“Mel, I should be the one to dissolve everything, you're going to need a lawyer and that costs money.” I tell her. 

“I plan on pleading out, so no lawyer needed. It’s my way of telling Justin how sorry I am for my part in this. You'll just have to find a way to support yourself because Jenny’s money isn't going to be going to you, it will go to Justin and Brian.” She smirks.

“You bitch, I've put up with your shit all this time and you pay me back by throwing me out in the street.” I tell her. 

“I'm sure you can find someone else to fall for the innocent routine you do so well. Maybe you could look up Sam, by now he's looking for his next ex-wife. Play your cards right and you and Lynette could be rich divorcees together. Mommy and Daddy will be so proud.” She tells me. 

I get up and walk out on her, the bitch thinks she's won. Well, Michael is bound to fight for custody, I'll just have to make sure Brian and Justin look like the worst fathers a kid could have. With that in mind I decide to go talk with the social worker.  

Diana was in her office with another client when I got to Child Services. She told me she would see me next. When I was called in she asked if I looked at the brochures she gave me.

“I haven’t had a chance.” I tell her. 

“Lindsay it's important you start trying to help yourself. Until you do, Gus won't have the mother he needs.” She tells me. 

“It's just I'm worried about Gus living with Brian and Justin.” I tell her with a few tears in my eyes. 

“He seemed fine with living with his father and Justin. Is there some reason you're worried?” She asks me. 

“Brian lifestyle has me worried and the fact that Justin and Brian’s relationship has always been rocky. It's not Justin’s fault, it's just being only seventeen when they got together was not really the best decision a twenty-nine year old man should have made.” I tell her. 

“Their past isn't what we look at, it's the present that counts. I saw nothing that indicated Gus could be in danger.” She tells me. 

“Brian’s club doesn't have you worried, or the fact that he could be bringing strange men around Gus?” I ask her. 

“Since the club is his business and unless Gus tells us Brian is bringing strange men in the house, we don't have a reason to investigate anything. From all the letters his lawyer brought to me, every indication is that Brian no longer lives the life you're suggesting. Lindsay right now you're my main concern.” She tells me. 

“What have I done?” I ask her. 

“Nothing and that's the problem. Your child went missing and you didn’t know about it, that’s not something we take lightly. Instead of coming here to tell me you read the information I gave you, your trying to slander Mr Kinney. For what purpose I don't know, but let me explain my position as Gus’s Social Worker. I only care that he is being taken care of and loved by his parents. I will not be put in the middle of whatever game you seem to want to play with your child's life. Do I make myself clear?” She tells me. 

“I guess you won't care when my son gets hurt.” I tell her. 

“I care that you hurt him enough that he ran away to a person he barely knew because he needed to find someone who would love him. Now, unless you are here to tell me you plan to straighten out your life, I have other parents waiting to show me they are making progress.” She tells me. 

She opens her door and waits for me to walk out. I couldn't believe she talked to me like that.

“I think I'll need your supervisor’s name.” I tell her. 

“She's standing at the reception desk, good luck.” She tells me. 

I head towards the woman she pointed out to complain about my treatment.

“Excuse me, but I need to file a complaint about Diana.” I tell her. 

“How can I help you?” She asks me. 

I tell her what was said in the office and wait for her to tell me she'll help me.

“Is this the case where the child ran away all the way from Canada to New York?” She asks me. 

“Yes.” I tell her. 

“And you're one of the mothers who didn’t know the child was missing?” She asks me.   

“What does that have to do with how I was treated?” I ask her. 

“Because Diana fights for the child, not the parents. I would advise you do what she asked instead of trying to cause trouble. We see parents like you all the time, so we know what kind of things you'll try to make the situation worse. If you want to fill out the complaint form, that's fine, but each form is attached to your file, so we know your history as well.” She tells me. 

“I'll have my lawyer handle this.” I tell her. 

“Here’s my card, tell him to contact me.” She tells me.

I take the card and walk out the door.