𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑- 𝐉.𝐓

ᴛᴡᴏ

ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ.

I had changed into my pyjamas as soon as I got home, throwing up in between each item of clothing I slipped on, hair twisted and on top of my head, puppy scratching my skin in attempt to check if I'm ok.

The tv was playing in the background whilst I stared at the image in my hands, chewing my tongue whilst deep in thought, listening to the squeak of a rubber steak from somewhere across the room.

The doorbell alerted me to a guest, noticing that the time was 8:34PM, Joey still had thirty minutes before he had to get here.

I sighed, placing the image on the coffee table and walking to the door, hearing the patter of little paws swiftly behind me.

I opened the door, leaving Joey stood in the open doorway to my townhouse with three pizza boxes, the smell of cheese and pepperoni instantly invading my nose.

"I uh... I couldn't wait the half hour. We need to talk about this now".

I smiled, opening the door further for him to slide past me, placing the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter once the door was shut once again. Tilly jumped at his feet, letting him pick her up and cuddle her for a moment before setting her on the ground to play with her toys again, opening the pizza boxes and carrying them to the sofa.

"So..." I started, playing with my fingers nervously in my lap before pulling a slice of pizza from the box, biting into it and feeling immediately better, "what're you thinking?"

He wiped his lips with a napkin, scrunching it up and throwing it on the table, taking a moment to think before he spoke. "I wanna be involved," he told me, grabbing my hand from across the gap between us, rubbing his thumb over my skin, "I mean, it's my kid, Aub. If my kid's out there, I wanna know about it".

I smiled, nodding my head and resting it on his shoulder, him wrapping his arms around me. Tilly clawed at the edge of the sofa, forcing me to pick her up and place her on my knee, gently stroking her head.

"What are we gonna do?"

꧁꧂

The night had drawn to around 11PM before Joey left, with us spending time talking about baby names and which room in my house would turn into a nursery.

Joey was by the door now, leaning his head against it and yawning tiredly, jelled hair falling over his young face.

"I'll see you soon" I told him, hugging him quickly before letting go.

"Alright, alright. I'll see you later Aubrey, bye Tilly!"

He didn't move after that, staring at me nervously whilst flicking his eyes from mine to my cheeks. He finally leaned in, pecking my cheek with his lips nervously before backing away with his head bobbing, waving bashfully before walking off.

I sighed as I watched him turn the corner, waiting until I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore to close, lock and lean on the door, watching Tilly run over to me and stumble on the thick white rug in the living room.

I smiled, picking her up and feeling her lick my cheek before settling asleep in my  hands. I tucked her into my jumper and she stayed there whilst I tidied the pizza boxes away before heading to bed,

I lay Tilly on my bed next to me and climbed in myself, pulling the sheets up to my chin and getting comfortable.

It didn't last long, only five minutes later I was curled over the toilet again, holding my own hair back as I spewed pizza scented liquid into the white porcelain bowl.

꧁꧂

I woke up to my face being licked, smiling as I picked the puppy up, carrying her to the fridge and pulling out a syringe of her milk.

I sat down on the couch to feed her, holding her upright and letting her find the end before slowly dripping it into her mouth, most of it missed her mouth anyway, but it was still enough for her to eat.

After she finished, I quickly got dressed into my vet uniform and tied my hair back into a ponytail, leaving my face bare of makeup and throwing up a couple times before scooping Tilly into my bag and setting out.

꧁꧂

Once I arrived at the shelter, I greeted the receptionist, Linda, and made my way to the clinic, placing Tilly (who I rescued from this place a couple days ago after she was abandoned alone) on the bed in the corner.

The feeling of someone poking me pulled me back to reality after I zoned put stroking Tilly.

My friend, Janice, started laughing nasally, causing me to scrunch my nose slightly whilst smiling.

"Hey, Aubrey. You've got a pregnant pooch in ten and a one-eyed cat right after, I'll let you know if anything else comes up," she smiled before walking out, waving her hand behind her just before leaving the door open.

I sighed, sitting in my spinning office chair and rolling around the room until my buzzer rang, "yes?" I asked, leaning my arm on the desk.

"You have someone here to see you. A man called 'Joey Tribbiani'"

I smiled lightly, buzzing him in before thanking the receptionist, rolling my chair to face the door once I heard it be pushed further open.

"Hey," he greeted, shrugging his leather jacket off and handing me a panini wrapped in tinfoil- still warm.

"Thanks, I uh... didn't bring myself lunch today," I admitted, unwrapping the foil and taking a bite, it was my favourite: Philly Cheesesteak with toasted bread.

"Well, you gotta take care of yourself now. You're eating for two, after all".