"Wigan, Avery..." Bailey says as they approach her; her eyebrow quirks. "What do you want?"
Mae and Jackson share a look. "We uh, we need a word." Jackson smiles sweetly.
Bailey deliberates for a moment before she backs up and opens her office door, motioning them inside; budget meeting can wait. Her curiosity is piqued. "You've been back all of-" she glances at her watch, "an hour. Broken up already? Wigan, you're out, I need pretty boys hands and wallet- I mean name."
Mae and Jackon share another look and Mae then smiles at Bailey. "Actually... its our name."
Her eyebrows shoot up. "Your- who- wha- huh." She pauses and sips her water. "Pardon?" She finally says, laying her hands on the table in front of her.
Jackson smirks. "We both have the same name." He shrugs.
"I gathered... how... no I know how, dumbass." She mutters to herself before taking a deep breath. "When? Why so secretive?"
"Italy, bout a week ago." She smiles as she plays with Jackson's fingers. "You've got to be secretive when your mother in law is Catherine Fox and hates every breath you take."
"I mean..." Bailey nods and shrugs. "Okay. Right. So how does this affect me?"
"Urm..." Jackson rubs his jaw. "I've taken control of my assets. I'm now a seperate entity to the Fox Foundation. I haven't got a name for it yet, I can't use Avery." He admits and takes a deep breath. "Logistically, its just a little different now."
"Who owns the hospital, Avery." Bailey demands.
"The Fox Foundation. But in the separation, I'd like to take over-"
"Don't you mess with my hospital." Bailey glares. "We wouldn't survive without the connections and finances and-"
"None of that will change. We have a 51, 49 split. I own majority, I will take what I want. Its just a simple change of ownership." He assures her. "I'll try and make the transition as smooth as possible-"
Baileys loud laugh interrupts him. "Oh I've met your mother, that ain't happening." She tuts and huffs. "Can't you just leave it?"
"No." Jackson frowns. "I cant-wont." He says, shaking his head. "This is my hospital. My work. My friends. My practice. And I want it out of her hands."
Bailey sighs deeply and looks at Mae. "Knew you'd be a pain in my ass - both of you."
Mae smirks. "I promise I won't get pregnant and go on maternity leave for the next-"
"2 years." Bailey says firmly.
"Yes ma'am." Mae nods.
-
"Wigan!"
Mae freezes midstep.
"Or is it Avery now."
Mae slowly turns and smiles innocently. "Doctor Altman, I missed you too!"
Teddy glares at her friend. "Married!? I just got news you were engaged and now you got married!?"
"Shhh!" Mae cringes and pushes her into a store room. "I got married! There, I told you." She tuts.
"Why? I mean I know why, I've seen pretty boy, but why so quick and sudden? No family- no friends." She gasps. "No bridesmaids! You can't take that from me!"
Mae rolls her eyes playfully. "I did it- we did it- for ourselves. To have no meddling and interference and no protesting." She scratches her jaw as she jaws her lip. "I mean, I knew I'd be scared of the 'after' no matter how or when we married but now it's here... I gotta face Catherine Fox again."
"And me." Teddy crosses her arms. "You're having a ceremony here."
"Yes we are, we will eventually." Mae promises. "I'm sorry okay? You can be sulky with MJ who should actually be here." She frowns and pulls her phone out. "She's being induced today."
"Bout time. I feel like she's been pregnant forever."
"Me too. I promise you'll have your moment okay?" Mae calls as she walks away.
"Yes I will!" Altman calls back as Mae giggles.
She heads towards the lobby and looks around, grinning wide when she sees her friend waddling over. "It's baby tiiiime!" She sings.
MJ gives a tired glare. "Cut it out. I don't care, forget the b-"
"No no, we have the perfect birth plan. Where's Ben?" Mae wraps a comforting arm around her friend.
"Parking." MJ mumbles into her shoulder. "I don't even have the energy to be mad at you, Mrs Avery." She mumbles.
Mae laughs and rubs her back gently. "Cmon, let's get you drugged up."
"Yes!" MJ lifts her head and starts walking.
Before long, they're set up in a room, MJ trying to nap while she can as Benny gets food. Mae sits in the chair beside the bed and watches the baby kick every now and then, imagining what that might be like. She's never wanted kids, never had the desire like MJ or many women. Harriets cool and she's super cute but Mae would hate to be stuck pregnant for so long. And then to take care of a baby?
Poop. Tears. Crying. Throw up. No sleep. Pee.
Ha, sounds like a shift in the ER. Hence why she often jokes the job is her life, her baby.
But what if Jackson wants another? He's older than her and he has kids already, so clearly the desire is there. He is such a great dad, could she stop him from being that to someone else?
God, they really should've talked about all this sooner. Especially before getting married. Jackson isn't religious but Harriet might be and so he may hold certain views for her, so would their children need those too?
"You look like you're going to vomit."
Mae breaks out of her thoughts and looks at MJ. She swallows hard. "I might." She laughs nervously and takes a slow breath. "How we feeling?"
"Crampy. Like a really bad period." MJ struggles to sit up and huffs a little as Mae helps. "I'm done, I can't, I can't do this. Get her out." She begs, gripping her friends arm.
"Well, if you don't progress much then you may get that wish. But you don't want the choice taken from you. You can do this, buttercup."
-
"How's it going?" Jackson asks over the phone.
Mae paces the hallway slowly. "She's still only 2 centimetres and its been almost 12 hours. Wilson is considering a section right now with them." She says, running a hand through her hair as she yawns. "I so wouldn't want that."
"If our kid needed it, you do would." Jackson reasons.
"To be gutted and then made to walk hours later? Not a chance." She shakes her head. "Not unless I'm dying."
"You might think different in the moment." He reasons.
"Maybe. Good job it's hypothetical." She hums.
"For now, yeah." Jackson says cheerfully.
Mae's stomach twists. "I uh I gotta go. I'll text with an update." She quickly says and hangs up. She takes a shaky breath again, just as she did earlier, with all the thoughts hitting her.
She married a man.
Yes, she loves him and has been with hum a decent amount of time.
But they never discussed any of this.
Not even hypothetically, really.
She feels like she made it clear that she didn't particularly want kids, but have those signals been lost in the whole wedding business? They half did it to piss Catherine off so it likely did.
"You look worse than M." Benny teases as he comes out.
Mae laughs nervously. "Gee thanks. So?"
"They're gonna prep her now." He smiles small. "She's cried so hard but I think she's ready. Told me to tell you, you're right?"
"I told her she'd feel different if the choice was taken." Mae shrugs small. "I'm always right."
He smiles. "I promise you'll be the first to see her after us, okay?"
Mae pulls him into a tight up. "You go get her, dad."
He giggles a little at the word. "Hey, you're good yeah?" He asks, holding her at arms length for a moment.
Mae smiles small. "I promise." She nods.
-
"Hi Aunty Mae." Ben coos as he brings the baby over to Mae, who's sat in the armchair waiting.
Her palms sweat a little with nerves as she waits. Her internal battle hasn't stopped. But it dulls a little when the tiny bundle is placed in her arms. She sees the blue hat and tears. "I was so wrong." She laughs and blinks the tears away. "Fuck!"
MJ and Benny giggle as they watch her. "Guess his name." MJ says gently.
Mae tears more. "I don't want to because I really will cry."
"He's Tyler James. Our own little TJ." Bentley says as he swallows hard. "Tyler after the best man I knew and the reason I'm alive, why he's alive."
Mae leans her head back and sobs a little, taking a moment as the other two do the same. They're silent for a while as they all look at the tiny baby. Holding him hasn't confirmed anything for Mae. She thought that, just maybe, she'd know for sure if she did or did not want one of these blobs. But her heart is just as torn, and her mind just as manic.