The Parent Project

Wednesday

"You're right," Joey sighed, shaking his head, "Sam's fake," he rolled his eyes and let out a deep laugh, "I'm an idiot," he grinned.

"You just have a big heart," Lauren grinned back at him. She bent down and unclipped Sam from his carrier immediately passing him to Joey. "Now, say goodbye to your fake son so we can get to class."

They walked into the empty baby room laughing and Joey carefully placed Sam in his blanketed box. He pressed his fingers to lips and placed them on Sam's forehead waiting for Lauren to do the same. As soon as she stood back up Joey reached for her hand as if they'd been doing it for years and together they walked to their first class of the day.

-

It took Lauren less than ten minutes to start daydreaming in English. This was one of the only classes aside from Health & Social Care that she had with Joey and his side profile was proving to be quite the distraction.

Objectively Lauren could tell you that Joey was a very attractive man. Sure, his face wasn't symmetrical and he was tall and gangly, not quite having grown into his body yet but his eyes were the deepest of browns and his smile, God, his smile could light her way home through a blackout. The more Lauren got to know him, the more she liked him and not just in a friendly way. She hoped the feeling was reciprocated but honestly, she couldn't tell and it's not like she would do anything to jeopardise their grade anyway just in case he didn't like her back. Unfortunately, deep down she knew she was falling for him; he could make her smile with just a look, he brought her coffee when she was tired and seeing the way he had reacted to sudden infant death syndrome this morning just made her like him more. With a long-suffering sigh, she glanced back at the whiteboard desperate for this class to end so she could talk to Joey again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Joey look at her, hand on his chin, a soft smile on his face and she couldn't help the grin that formed.

-

"Darren, this is fucking stupid! We are arguing over a piece of plastic!" Jaime cried, stomping her foot irritably just outside of the day-care. Lauren paused on route and wondered if she could potentially duck around them to retrieve Samson. Joey appeared at her shoulder and smiled down at her. He opened his mouth but was cut off by Darren's response.

"Hayley is not a piece of plastic! And don't shout in front of her, we don't want her to see her parents argue,"

"Darren," Jaime growled running a frustrated hand through her hair.

"What's going on?" Joey whispered, his smile quickly turning into a frown as more of their classmates appeared to pick up their children.

"I don't know, they were already mid-argument when I arrived," Lauren shrugged, "I just want to get Sam," Joey nodded in agreement as they watched the scenario play out before them.

"I am not a parent Darren and I never will be! I'm glad you're finding this a cake walk but it isn't as easy for me, I don't want kids and every time you tell me another 'interesting' fact about kids I just want to run away even more," Jaime had lowered her voice now and Lauren spotted her classmates looking awkwardly at the floor, some even leaving to avoid the aftermath.

"It's not that hard Jaime, you just suck at being a mother," Darren said.

"Oh, back off Darren," Lauren said, unable to help herself, "it doesn't come naturally to everyone, especially those who don't want kids anyway." She moved forward to place a hand on Jaime's shaking shoulder. "I suck at it and maybe Jaime does too but we're trying our best and you are not helping her."

"This doesn't involve you Lauren," Darren began, tucking Hayley under his arm as he shrugged.

"It involves me if you're gonna be an ass to my friends,"