Disclaimer: This chapter contains mentions of miscarriage, grief etc.
At Jen's house, around noon :
Brad : As long as the baby's healthy, I'm glad.
Jen : Yeah, happy and healthy...
Brad nods, while taking a bite of his sandwich.
Jen : And cute.
Brad : And smart.
Jen : And creative...
Jen turns to Andrea, shrugging her shoulders.
Jen : You know into art and astrology... and that stuff.
Brad : And with an aptitude for sports.
Andrea : Are you guys talking about the same baby?
Andrea laugh as Brad turns to Jen sighing.
Andrea : Hey, have you started thinking about names yet?
Jen : Oh, yeah... I've come up with a bunch of ideas.
Brad : Really? Me too.
Andrea : Me too!
Andrea raises her voice as Jen laughs.
Jen : Really?
Andrea : Yeah... well since it's a girl, Andrea.
Brad turns to Jen, furrowing his brow.
Andrea : And if it had been a boy, André.
Brad : Maybe...
Jen laughs, laying a hand on Andrea's arm.
Brad : But it wouldn't hurt to have a back up, you know.
Andrea nods, a little disappointed.
Brad : Jen... what were you thinking?
Jen : Ok... I was thinking, how about Dominique? It's Greek.
Brad : Huh... that's a really pretty name for an industrial solvent.
Jen scolds at Brad as he jokes, before clearing her throat.
Jen : Ok, fine... what do you have?
Brad : Alright, I know it's unoriginal, but... Nicole.
Jen : Babe...
Jen shakes her head, suddenly laughing.
Brad : What?
Jen : Nicole Aniston?
Brad : Yeah, what's wrong with that?
Jen : Well, there's a porn star named that.
Brad : What?
Jen : Yeah.
Brad : Are you just saying that cause I said no to your name?
Jen : I'm really, really not.
Brad : Well, I still like it.
Jen scolds at Brad, rolling her eyes.
Andrea : How about you each get 5 vetoes?
Jen : Alright.
Brad : That sounds fair.
Jen : I don't think you're gonna need it though, check this out... reign.
Brad nods, before turning it down straight away.
Brad : Veto.
Jen : Why?
Brad : Reign? "Hi, my name is Reign... I have my own kiln and my dress is made out of wheat".
Andrea : I know her!
Brad widens his eyes as Andrea raises her hand.
Andrea : She goes to my women empowerment circles!
They both shake their heads, before moving on.
Brad : Ok... how about Hattie?
Jen : Brad, why do you hate our child?
Brad : Fine, you go.
Jen : Ok, James.
Brad : You realize we're having a girl right?
Jen : Yeah.
Brad : Veto.
Brad : How about... I like Ruth, what about Ruth?
Jen : Oh, I'm sorry... are we having an 89 year old?
Jen : How about Lotus.
Brad : Veto.
Brad : Yolanda?
Jen : Veto.
Jen : Sawyer?
Brad : Veto.
Brad : Helen.
Jen : Veto.
Andrea : Is it me or is veto starting to sound really good?
Around 3am, that night :
Brad : Jen.
Brad sighs, opening his eyes as he's awoken by the sound of her phone.
Brad : Jen, your phone.
Jen : Mhm.
Knowing Jen, she'll probably just let it ring as she's able to sleep through anything, so he reached for it himself.
Brad : Fine, I'll get it.
Brad clears his throat, before answering not even checking who it is that's calling.
Brad : Hello?
Dr. Emmet : Hi, have I reached Ms. Aniston's phone?
Brad : Who is it?
Emmet : It's Dr. Emmet, it's about Maria...
As Brad realizes who it is, his eyes flutter open in distress.
Emmet : And the baby.
Brad : What, uhm... what's going on?
Emmet : Maria has been admitted to the hospital with bleeding, we can't...
Brad : What?!
Brad raises his voice, causing Jen to ultimately react.
Jen : What's going on?
Brad : What does that mean?
Emmet : Well...
Brad : How's the baby?
Jen : Brad... what's happening?
Jen sits up, reaching for her fiancé's arm as she's got no idea what's going on.
Emmet : You're the father, right? Mr. Pitt?
Brad : Yes! Yes, I'm the father.
Emmet : I don't have any updates on the baby as of right now... it was doing fine when she was admitted, but...
Jen : Is it Maria?
Brad : Yes.
Jen : Is it the baby?
Brad nods as Jen covers her mouth with her hands.
Brad : So the baby is fine?
Emmet : Maria was under surveillance the last time I checked, I don't know any more than that at this moment.
Brad : Who can I speak to that knows more then?!
Jen : Brad...
Emmet : Listen, I'll give you the number to the hospital she's at...
Brad : No... no we wanna go see her.
Emmet : You wanna go visit her, now?
Brad : Yes.
Jen shakes her fiancé's arm, as tears are forming in her eyes.
Jen : Is the baby okay?
Brad bites his lip, shaking his head.
Brad : I don't know...
Emmet : Mr. Pitt, I don't think that's possible, because of Covid restrictions there's no visitation at...
Brad : Oh, fuck that!
Brad sighs, raising his voice.
Brad : It's our fucking baby we're talking about.
Emmet : I know this is hard for you, it's hard for everyone, but I'll update you as soon as I get more information from the hospital.
Jen stares at Brad as he just nods.
Emmet : All we can do right now is just hope for the best.
Brad : Mhm.
A few minutes later :
Jen : We have to go... we have to go see her.
Brad : We can't do that, Jen.
Jen : What do you mean we can't? Of course we can, we'll just go and we'll...
Brad : They wouldn't have let us in... we'd be sent home.
Jen shakes her head, while walking back and forth in their bedroom.
Brad : It would just be a waste of time.
Jen : But...
Brad : All we can do is wait... I mean it's 3am for god sakes.
Brad sighs, looking down on his watch and back up at Jen.
Brad : Babe...
Jen : I can't do this.
Brad : Jen, I'm sure the baby is fine.
Jen : How can you be sure? You don't know!
Jen raises her voice, while tears are falling from her face.
Jen : Not even the fucking doctor knows! Apparently there's no one who can tell us if our fucking daughter is okay!
Brad stands up as Jen sinks to the floor, bending down next to her.
Brad : Shhh... everything's gonna be fine.
Jen : I just... I can't do this again.
Brad : I know, I know.
Brad takes a deep breath, wrapping his arms around his fiancé.
Brad : The miscarriage was hard on us both, honey... but it doesn't mean this is has to be that.
Jen : No...
Brad : I mean this might not even be that serious.
Jen : No, but... it's not just that.
Brad : Hm?
Jen looks up at him, her lip trembling as she clears her throat.
Jen : This has happened before.
Brad : What do you mean?
Jen : I've been through this before... myself.
Brad : Jen, what are you saying?
Brad raises his brow, not following.
Jen : I haven't told you this before...
Jen sighs as she gets up from the floor, before going on.
Jen : And I know I probably should have when... we lost the baby the last time.
Brad : Jennifer...
Jen : But I just couldn't get myself to, you know. I didn't want you to look at me any differently or...
Brad stands up and walks over to her, taking her hands in his.
Jen : I didn't want you to look at me with pity...
Brad : Jen.
Jen : With the same look on your face that you've got right now.
Brad shakes his head, looking down on his feet as he realizes what she's trying to say.
Brad : Did you... uhm did you...
Jen : I lost a baby...
Her voice breaks as she finally lets it out.
Jen : I lost my baby...
Before Brad pulls her closer, holding her as tight as he can while she lets it out.
Jen : There was nothing anyone could do, they just kept saying "sorry".
Brad : Hey...
Jen : I couldn't keep it safe...
Brad : Jen, listen to me...
Brad grabs her face, getting the hair out of her face before he speaks to her.
Brad : None of this was your fault...
Jen nods, pressing her lips together.
July 2013, 8 years ago at Jen and Justin's house :
Jen : Ok...
Jen stares at herself in the mirror, biting her lip as she's holding a pregnancy test in her hand.
And for the first time, it's positive.
Jen : It's positive... it's definitely positive.
She sighs before taking one more look at it, only to be faced with the same two strong lines.
Jen : Mhm.
Not knowing how to react, as she's never gotten as far as a positive test before, she keeps mumbling to herself.
Jen : I'm pregnant...
Jen looks down at Dolly, who's staring up at her.
Jen : That's right, mommy is pregnant...
Bending down to her, Jen wraps her arms around her while taking a few deep breaths.
Jen : Mommy is gonna be a mom.
An hour later :
Justin : Jen!
Justin walks through the door, holding his motorcycle helmet in his hand.
Justin : I'm home.
He bends down to Dolly, patting her on the head before Jen appears in front of him.
Justin : Hi, honey.
Her eyes are wide open as she stares at him, letting him know something's up.
Justin : What's going on?
Jen : Well...
Justin walks towards her, with a worried look on his face.
Jen : I think... I think I might be pregnant.
Justin : What?!
Jen : Yeah.
Justin : You think? What do you mean think?
Jen : Uhm, well the test is positive.
Jen pulls it out of her pocket, showing it to him before she starts rambling.
Jen : I took the test... because you know how I've been telling you about my breasts being sore...
Justin : Mhm.
Jen : I didn't expect it to be positive, but then I looked at and it was... and I checked again and it still was.
Justin nods eagerly while holding the test in his hand.
Jen : I checked a lot.
Justin : I mean...
Jen : Is it still positive? Can you check?
Justin sighs, before looking up at his fiancé as tears are starting to form in his eyes.
Justin : It's still positive, babe.
Jen : Yeah?
He nods before pulling her in and almost lifting her up in the air as she wraps her arms around him.
Justin : We're having a baby, Jen!
Jen laughs, while wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
Jen : We are... we are.
Justin : I can't believe this.
Justin takes her hand, showing her the biggest smile before Jen sighs.
Jen : But... I don't want you to get your hopes up though.
Justin : I can't not be excited about this, Jen...
Jen : No, I know... but...
Justin : I mean you're pregnant, you're actually pregnant.
Jen : I might be pregnant, I mean the test might be a false positive...
Justin shakes his head, not wanting to agree.
Jen : Or the tests... I took like 4.
Justin : You did?
Jen laughs, before he pulls her in yet again.
Justin : No, this is happening.
She looks up at him, as the reassuring look on his face calms her down straight away.
Jen : It's happening?
Justin : Yes, we're having a baby.
2021 :
Jen : He was so excited.
Jen sighs as she can't help but think of Justin.
Jen : He was so certain that we'd get it right this time around...
Brad : Justin?
Jen : Mhm... but we didn't.
Brad looks down, clearing his throat.
Brad : When... when did this happen?
Jen : In 2013.
He tilts his head, looking into her teary eyes.
Brad : Why didn't you tell me?
Jen : What? Like I was gonna call my ex husband and tell him I just had a miscarriage?
Brad : No, but... you know we were friends.
Jen : We weren't that great friends then, Brad.
Jen lets go of his hand, walking over to the bed.
Jen : Besides I guess I... in some way didn't want you to know.
Brad : Why?
Jen : Because I don't know... you and Angelina seemed to be living this picture perfect family life and that didn't bother me... I wasn't jealous of that or anything, but...
Brad : Jen...
Brad follows her, kneeling down in front of her.
Jen : But at the same time... I didn't want to seem like a failure, you know.
Brad : I'd never think of you as a failure, Jen.
Jen : No, I know you wouldn't...
Jen sighs, looking into his eyes.
Jen : But I did.
Brad swallows, not knowing what to do or say to make her feel better.
Jen : I was really excited too, you know.
Brad : Of course you were.
Jen : I started getting used to the idea of actually being pregnant and having a child...
August 2013, at Court's house :
Courteney : Do you want anything to drink, Jen? Are you thirsty?
Jen : I'm fine, thank you.
Justin : I'd like a glass of water, Court!
Justin yells out to the kitchen as they're sitting on the couch in the living room.
Courteney : Are you sure, Jen... you know you should stay hydrated.
Jen : It's ok, really... I just drank a bottle in the car.
Jen laughs as she completely ignores Justin.
Justin : I guess I'll just get my own then.
Court walks into the living room holding a bottle as Justin stands up.
Courteney : You'll have some anyway.
Jen : Alright...
Court puts the glass down in front of her, before sitting down.
Courteney : So...
Jen : Yeah.
Courteney : How are you doing?
Jen : I'm good... yeah.
Courteney : And the little one...
Court gushes before pressing her hand against her small bump.
Courteney : It's growing fast.
Jen : It honestly might be because of the quesadillas Justin and I had earlier...
Jen laughs before reaching for her glass, like Court knew she would.
Justin : What are you ladies talking about?
Courteney : Oh, just what's inside Jen's stomach.
Justin : Ah, my favorite topic.
Justin smiles at his fiancé, before bending down next to her joining Court and laying his hand on top of her stomach.
Justin : I think it's a boy, what do you think?
Jen : I don't know...
Courteney : No, it's definitely a girl...
Jen : Yeah?
Courteney : Jen is bound to have a daughter.
Jen nods at Justin, who shakes his head.
Courteney : So, how did the premiere go last week?
Jen : It went fine, but you know... it was definitely noticeable.
Courteney : You went with the purple dress?
Jen : Yeah.
Justin : It sparked some rumors, it did.
Courteney : In the tabloids? Are people talking about it?
Jen : Yeah, I saw some headlines this morning, but I'm trying to not pay too much attention to it.
Jen sighs, rubbing her belly.
Justin : I think it might be time to announce it soon though, before it gets too obvious.
Justin throws himself back down on the couch, laying his hand on her thigh.
Jen : Yeah, I guess you're right.
Courteney : When are you planning on doing this?
Jen : I don't know... it's just so unfamiliar to me you know.
Justin : I know, me too.
Jen : I've never been through anything like that before.
Courteney : Oh, but everyone's gonna be so excited for y'all though.
Court smiles at them as Jen nods.
Jen : Yeah?
Courteney : I mean not as excited as Justin, but...
Justin : I am pretty excited...
Jen : I know, baby.
Jen turns to Justin, laying her hand on his cheek.
2021 :
Jen : We never got to announce it.
Brad : Mhm.
Jen : I mean we had planned to do it in just a few weeks before... what happened happened.
Brad : Right.
Jen swallows, before turning her head to the window.
Brad : How... uhm how far were you along?
Jen : 4 months.
Brad : No...
Jen : Yeah, nearly halfway along.
Brad : Jennifer...
Brad lays his hand on her thigh, as she sniffles.
Jen : Oh god, that was such a hard time for me.
Brad : I can only imagine.
Jen : And for Justin too... he did not take it well.
Brad : What do you mean?
Jen : He just... he shut down.
Brad shakes his head, getting upset on her behalf.
Jen : For weeks. I didn't know what to do or... what to...
Brad : Hey, that was not your responsibility.
Jen : It felt like it was though.
Early October, 2013, at Jen and Justin's house :
Justin : Nah, she's sleeping.
Jimmy : I bet she's tired.
Justin : Yeah, the back pain is really taking a toll on her now.
Jimmy : Oh, that's too bad.
Justin : Yeah... she's on some medication but I don't know if it makes much difference.
Justin sighs, looking over at the picture he keeps of her in his office.
Justin : Anyways, I was calling about those scripts I sent you earlier.
In the bedroom, around 12am :
Jen : Ugh...
Jen twists and turns under the covers while breathing heavily.
Jen : Mhhh.
Giving into the discomfort, she ultimately opens her eyes, realizing something's wrong straight away.
Jen : Fuck.
Jen sits up, laying a hand on her stomach as she realizes that's where the pain's coming from.
Quickly noticing that something doesn't feel right, she brings her hand up to her face...
only to be faced with her biggest fear.
Jen : Oh, no...
There's blood.
Jen : No, no, no.
With her heart up her throat, she turns on the lights immediately before looking for Justin, who's not in bed.
Jen : Fuck!
Jen throws the covers off herself, before gasping as she looks down seeing she's bled way more than she first thought.
Jen : Justin!
She stares at it, unable to move as tears are starting to form in her eyes while yelling for Justin.
Jen : Justin! Get up here!
In the office :
Jimmy : It was great, it really...
Jen : Justin!
Justin turns his head, realizing Jen's calling for him.
Jimmy : What was that?
Justin : Oh, it was Jen...
Jimmy : Have you become the full time servant around the house?
Justin : Pretty much.
Justin laughs before Jen cuts him off again.
Jen : Justin! Get up here!
Justin : I guess I better get going.
Jimmy : Yeah, you don't wanna make her mad do you?
They two guys laugh before Justin ends the call, and finally leaves his office.
Justin : I'm coming!
Jen : Jus...
He rushes up the stairs, while Jen's left sitting on the edge of the bed, not knowing what to do.
Justin : What's going...
Justin enters the room, widening his eyes as he sees the desperate look on Jen's face.
Justin : What has happened...
He moves closer before seeing it... the blood on the mattress, on the covers... and on Jen's hands.
Jen : I...
Justin : Oh my god!
He runs over to her, grabbing her arms while trying to help her out of the bed.
Justin : Are you ok? Are you in pain?
Jen only manages to nod, as Justin is starting to panic himself.
Justin : We have to get to the hospital.
Jen : Jus...
Jen looks up at him, while holding her bump as he takes a deep breath.
Justin : Did you wake up like this?
Jen : Mhm.
Justin : Fuck...
They walk towards the staircase when Jen almost collapses on the floor as the pain is becoming unbearable.
Justin : Jen?!
Jen : I just need a...
Justin : I've gotta call an ambulance, we don't have time for this.
Jen : Justin...
Justin : Yeah?
With the phone in his hand, he dials the number before turning to her.
Jen : I'm so scared...
Justin : It'll be fine... it'll be fine, Jen.
He takes a deep breath before putting it against his ear.
Justin : It has to be fine.
2021 :
Brad : I don't know what to say...
Jen clears her throat, before looking up at Brad's sad face.
Jen : It's fine... I mean that's not what we should be focusing on right now.
Brad : I had no idea you went through this...
Brad bites his lip, staring at her.
Brad : I mean if I knew...
Jen : You couldn't have done anything, Brad.
Jen takes his hand, raising her brow.
Jen : It was me and Justin's back then... our problem.
He nods, still feeling bad about the fact that he wasn't there for her.
Jen : It's in the past, ok?
Brad : Mhm.
Jen : What you and I should worry about now, is our daughter.
Brad nods, pressing his palm against her cheek.
Jen : If she...
Before she's able to finish her sentence, the phone interrupts her, causing both Jen and Brad's hearts to skip a beat.
Brad rushes over to the other side of the bed, reaching for it before answering straight away.
Brad : Hello?
Maria : Hi...
Brad : Maria?
Jen : Put it on speaker.
Jen pulls on his shirt, wanting to hear.
Brad : Are you ok?
Maria : I'm fine... I'm fine.
Jen : And the...
Maria : Your baby is doing fine as well.
Jen grabs Brad's arm, taking a deep breath as a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
Brad : Oh, thank god.
Jen : Oh, that's really good... that's really good news.
Jen looks up at Brad, showing him a big smile as he nods.
Maria : It was just an infection. In the cervix.
Brad : Oh?
Maria : It didn't cause the baby any distress at all.
Jen : How about you, how are you feeling?
Maria : I'm ok, just tired...
Brad : I bet.
Maria : The doctor will call you later and fill you in properly, though.
An hour later :
Jen : That was really stressful.
Brad : I know.
Jen sighs, while laying in the crook of Brad's arm.
Jen : It made me realize that our stupid discussion about the name was so not important...
Brad : Oh?
Jen : I mean at this point I don't care anymore, let's just call her whatever.
Brad : Oh, I'm sure in a few days you'll change your mind.
Jen : I'm serious, as long as she gets here... and she's healthy, I'm happy.
Brad laughs, nodding.
Brad : So you'll let me call her whatever I want?
Jen : Well...
Jen presses her lips together, winking at him.
Brad : I thought so.
Jen : Thank god it turned out the way it did, though.
Brad : I'm telling you, nothing's going to ruin this for us Jen.
Jen laughs, looking up at him.
Brad : I'm bound to have a little you...
Jen : Oh, really?
Brad : And you're bound to have a daughter.
Jen raises her brow, as she's heard that sentence before.
Brad : What?
Jen : That's so funny... that's exactly what Courteney told me back when Justin and I, you know.
Brad smirks, before pulling his fiancé closer.
Brad : Well, Courteney obviously knows what she's talking about.