That night Lauren and Joey don't sleep well. At first they both lie there, trying to convince each other that they're asleep, but as they toss and turn, both of them soon realise that they're awake.
Lauren feels sick; after seeing Joey get so panicked and upset today it's making her realise just how much of a big deal all of this is. Obviously she understands the reality, but she's sort of been in denial about the fact that there's an actual baby inside of her. Her head's pounding and her hands are sweaty.
Joey on the other hand, doesn't want to sleep. He's seen the nightmares Lauren's been having and he knows that they will start happening for him as well, and that's something he wants control over. There's also the problem that even if he did want to go to sleep, his anxious thoughts won't let that happen. His brain is running at 2x the speed it normally is, pumping his mind full of stress and scenarios that are keeping him wide awake.
Lauren sighs loudly to herself in the dark, thinking Joey's asleep, until he shuffles a little next to her. "Lauren? Are you awake?" He whispers.
Lauren hesitates before gripping his hand tightly in the darkness. "Yeah." She replies quietly.
Joey moves in the bunk so he's lying on his side, leaning on his elbow, and kisses her hand lightly. "Are you alright?" He asks gently.
Lauren laughs dryly and shakes her head. "No."
Joey doesn't say anything after that; it was a stupid question. Of course she's not alright, neither of them are. He exhales slowly, thinking of something to say to try and reconcile her. "You want to cuddle?" He eventually asks; it usually makes her feel better.
Lauren giggles again and then nods. "Yes please,"
Joey moves from lying on his side to lying on his back and wraps an arm around Lauren as she lays on his chest, one leg straddling his waist. Her head nuzzles against his shoulder as Joey leaves a kiss on her hair.
They lie there for about ten minutes, but it doesn't work; they're both still wide awake. "You asleep?" Joey whispers, hoping he doesn't wake her if she is.
Lauren lifts her head up and leans it on her hand. "Nope." She replies and they both laugh quietly. Joey swings his legs out of the bunk and carefully jumps down as Lauren frowns at him in the darkness.
"Where are you going?" She says with a smile, knowing he's going to suggest something cute.
He holds out his hands to her so he can help her down. "To a distraction." He says gently.
Lauren's expression softens and she takes his hands and jumps down from the bunk next to him; his gestures never disappoint.
Joey leads her along to the sofa area and then grabs his iPod which is on the table, his earphones plugged in. He passes one earphone to Lauren and then puts the other in his ear as she frowns at him in confusion.
He smirks at her and presses play on the music. "Let's just dance." He whispers and presses a quick kiss to her lips. An upbeat song starts playing loudly in Lauren's ear and she struggles to hold back laughter as Joey starts dancing wildly, flinging his arms and legs around to the beat, careful not to make any noise.
"Come on Lo, just dance." He takes her hands and starts moving her from left to right in time as Lauren grins at him. She starts dancing too and throws her head about, her hair flipping over her face. Joey beams as she lets loose;
Lauren looks so carefree and happy whenever she dances but there's something about this time that's special. Obviously with everything that's been going on recently, Lauren has been more stressed than she ever has been in her life and right now she's just throwing all that stress away and dancing. It's beautiful to see.
