#I have never actually used Jack in a Ralph fic (99% of the time because its set after the book/show)

[smolbeandrabbles]

Trouble - Ralph Anderson & Reader (The Outsider)

Our friend the “&” is back-! That means Platonic fic ahead-!

@mandy23b​ @wltz-bby​ @happyskywhale​ #mendotagsquad

Ralph Anderson + 80 - “Does he know about the baby?” Requested by Anon

Dearest Anon, If you would like me to re-write this a little less platonic and much more romantic I certainly will. But I just really like the way this turned out 🙈 I hope you can still enjoy it how it is

Author’s Note: So, by all technicalities this can actually be set in ‘The Outsider’ show canon---! I haven’t messed with anyone, or made them disappear or... I mean, yeah this is unprecedented territory but here we are!

This is certainly one for the subverted expectations list! 😁 It’s also my first time ever writing Jeannie so uhm, be gentle! I think I did okay..! Disclaimer: The Outsider/The Outsider HBO has nought to do with me / lyrics and gifs not mine

Premise: All Ralph Anderson wants you to do is press charges. He can’t force you, only guide you. But maybe something will tip the scales and send you running to him instead...

Words: 5187

Warnings: Domestic Abuse TW / some talk about Derek / Swearing

___ Would you bleed for me? Lick it off my lips like you needed me? Let's cause a little trouble Oh, you make me feel so weak I bet you kiss your knuckles Right before they touch my cheek Would you lie for me? Cross your sorry heart and hope to die for me? Would you pin me to a wall? Would you beg or would you crawl? Stick a needle in your hungry eyes for me? Go on and light a cigarette, set a fire in my head Set a fire in my head, tonight When you met me when you met me You told me you were gonna get me But I've got my mind, made up this time 'Cause there's a menace in my bed Can you see his silhouette? Can you see his silhouette? Can you see his silhouette?

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It's time to run when you see him clenching his hands She's just a woman, never again... I'm terrified that she'll wind up dead in his hands She's just a woman, never again Seen it before but not like this Been there before but not like this Never before have I ever seen it this bad She's just a woman, never again Never again Father's a name you haven't earned yet You're just a child with a temper Haven't you heard don't hit a lady Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure

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You pressed your hands together between your thighs, tapping your foot to release your nervous energy, not looking up at the man asking you questions but instead staring at the papers on his desk. It was the position you took up every single time you were in here – that was never likely to change. The cup of coffee he’d offered you sat to one side, and you’d probably let it go cold before you took a sip. Ralph Anderson tapped his pen against the sheet of paper in front of him and waited for you to answer his question. He never ever wondered why he bothered, even though he knew he wouldn’t get a word out of you. Sighing gently, he tried again; “Y/N…” You raised your eyes to him, “All you have to do is tell me what happened.” “Nothing happened.” “Y/N, it’s the 3rd call this week. This week! You know this is in strictest confidence.” “Nothing’s wrong-!” His brows furrowed; “All you have to do is tell me… We surely have more than enough…” He trailed, it was so hard not to push you, but it had gone on long enough. And it hurt Ralph every time you waked in here. “Y/N, I promise you this’ll never happen again, all you have to do is give me something.” “He didn’t do anything.” Your answer was still adamant. Ralph sat back and bit his lip – both of you knew that was a lie. But you’d been in this relationship for more than just a few years, and you didn’t see a way out of it; even with Ralph Anderson offering you his outstretched hand. You couldn’t count the number of times the neighbours had called the police to incidents that happened between you and your boyfriend, and on more than a few occasions Ralph Anderson had accompanied the officers. He was sweet and kind, and he would always stay and talk to you – not questions that everyone else asked, but just to see how you were doing, how work was going, what you’d been up to lately. Ralph made it his mission to know as much about you as he could, just to give you a friend in Cherokee City – he was sure the neighbours didn’t help by calling the department out to you, though. He’d seen his fair share of bruises covered in make-up, but this was continuous. “Jeannie said you stopped going to see her.” “I’m fine, it helped.” Ralph stood, moving around his desk with his chair he sat and took your hand, ‘He’s still doing this to you. You’re not fine… You know that’, but that wasn’t what he said. “Y/N, she’s worried about you.” Of course he’d talked to his wife about you, and eventually referred you to the shelter she volunteered at. She was just as lovely as he was and there were things that you could tell her that you wouldn’t be able to tell Ralph, as a man of the law. Jeannie helped you sort through your head, but it wasn’t always easy to get out of the house and see her – even harder when your partner had found out what you’d been doing. “I can’t go.” Ralph sighed again; sometimes there was nothing he wanted to do more than embrace you – but he was a professional, and he’d handle this professionally, “Darling, I really… I’d like something from you for this report… the tiniest little detail, I-” “The neighbours are just nosy! They just thought they heard something! They didn’t!” You snapped, probably rightfully, Ralph had likely just overstepped his mark. He knew that was conversation over for another day – he would never push you. “Okay… okay.” Ralph held his hands up, nodding, “I’m sure they did. You know how they can be.” You knew what he was doing, he pacified you instead of demanding more. “But if you can’t get down to the Shelter, we can figure something else out, I can bring Jeannie up here… you could meet her for coffee or something. Y/N, she cares about you. She said you were doing well, which is what we all want to hear.” “Thank you, Ralph.” You swallowed, looking into his eyes hopefully, “Will that be all?” He sighed again with a reluctant nod, “Yeah. Yeah that’s all.” “Alright… Goodbye, Detective. Say hi to Jeannie for me…” You straightened, pulling on your jacket and without another word you walked from his office. Jack Hoskins was ambling towards the evidence room and you knew that you weren’t about to leave without crossing paths with him too. Both detectives had similar agendas when it came to your relationship; each one with a different idea on how to fix things. It sometimes made you glad that Ralph was the one who turned up first, and therefore got to handle things. Jack had been around before, and that never ended well. “You okay kiddo?” You kept your eyes to the floor, hands huddled in your pockets and voice quiet; “Yeah…” not willing to engage him in conversation, you made a beeline for the exit. Jack watched you say a quick goodbye to some of the other officers who had come to know your presence pretty well and sighed, turning to Ralph’s office; “Okay, what did you do to her?” Ralph folded his arms with a sharp look; “Oh, come off it!” Jack raised an eyebrow, “You still not arrested that son of a bitch-!?” “She won’t press charges. I can’t do anything.” “Fuck! You know I see him down those bars and I just know what’s gonna happen…” Ralph’s look was pointed, “Should you be in those bars downtown, Jack?” Jack glared at him, “This isn’t about me.” He knew a thing or two about abusive situations, and it pained him as much as it did Ralph to watch you walk out of here and back to the boy you lived with (Jack wasn’t about to call him a man.) “If you’re not careful Ralph, you’re gonna get called to a murder scene at that house, mark my words.” He looked back to watch you stroll out of their offices, “And then what?” *** Ralph Anderson wasn’t about to lie, it was certainly a real fear of his. That one day the call would come in and it wouldn’t just be yelling, screaming and breaking things… Every time he heard your address being repeated back to a concerned citizen, he found himself halfway out the door. If he was a little more Jack inclined, he probably would have wiped this guy of the face of the Earth by now. Unfortunately, that’d be highly illegal – but Ralph sure had thought about it. And no matter what happened, and no matter how many times he tried to coax you into it, you would never press charges. You had, just the once, but that had put you in dire straits and you’d dropped them soon afterwards. He actively encouraged you to go to Jeannie and, as suspected, she loved you. Ralph learned so much more about you just from his wife coming home happy; “You’ll never guess what Y/N is doing…” “Oh! Ralph! I saw Y/N today! She’s looking good! She’s very happy, she told me to say hi!” “That girl is too sweet for her own good, you know, she brought me flowers today?” But when you started missing appointments and then stopped seeing Jeannie altogether, she only got increasingly anxious. She did try to get Ralph to go over and check on you, but Ralph didn’t think that would help you either. You often became the late-night topic of choice as they held each other close; “Why is she even with him-!? She’s such a smart, strong girl!” “I wouldn’t say the abuse is just physical.” “Neither would I, from what she’s told me. But… surely she had family? Someone that can help?” Ralph was surprised to know something Jeannie didn’t, “No… I don’t think she has either parent anymore. And I don’t know about other immediate family.” Jeannie cuddled into his chest with a forlorn sigh, frown on her face, “You need to get her out of there Ralph. You at least need to try…” “Baby…” He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead, “I’m trying… I promise you I’m trying. We’ll do this I promise. I’ll get her back to you; we’ll get her on track.” “Try isn’t good enough for that poor girl.” She huffed, holding him close, “You’re smarter than that Ralph.” “Jeannie, what would you have me do? Legally I can only do so much.” She smiled gently, “You’re a good man, you’ll figure out the answer. You knew the law better than anyone, I know you can do this.” Jeannie kissed him gently goodnight, “I believe in you.” The tricky thing about the man you were with, was his manipulation of everyone else. He usually acted as sweet as anything – and every officer had a hard time pinning anything on him. The evidence might have been all over your body (something else Jeannie used to comment on with a worried expression and hushed tone “Ralph… you should see the bruises…”), but you weren’t about to corroborate. And sometimes neighbours would even change their stories to perhaps I was mishearing. Today, wasn’t one of those days. Ralph and Jeannie were out in town to do their weekend shopping, it was a lovely clear day too – and in fact they’d just been talking about how much they were going to enjoy time out in the garden this afternoon. When a sudden yell caught them both off guard; “YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH-!” The colour very nearly drained from Ralph’s face, and Jeannie gripped his arm a little tighter. “Ralph!” Her voice was urgent, and he nodded, “Yeah, I see ‘em…”   You and your other half were a little way up the street, and he had your arm in something more akin to a vice-grip, let alone a firm one. Ralph wasn’t sure scared covered the look on your face either – and your partner looked downright threatening. He took Jeannie’s hands in his, voice low, “Wait here okay, I got her…” Ralph sidled up the street with his hands on his hips – pushing his jacket back enough to flash his CCPD badge and concealed carry. “Y/N.” You instinctively froze at the sound of Ralph’s voice and your eyes hit the floor, he regarded your boyfriend, “You wanna let her go?” “Nothing’s going on here man.” Although there was a nervous flicker in his eyes at the sight of Ralph’s badge. “You don’t need to hold her wrist that tight, c’mon.” Although all it really got Ralph was glared at as he dropped your wrist. “Y/N, you alright?” “I’m fine, Ralph, thank you… We’re okay.” Ralph had to pretend he didn’t see you rubbing your arm with a pained expression. “Yeah, we’re fine.” It was blunt, and made Ralph back up just a little. “Okay, good. Make sure it stays that way…” He narrowed his eyes, “Have a good day. Don’t let me hear anything else out of you this week.” It was threat enough that Ralph hoped would work – and sometimes it did. But once again all you were prepared to do was timidly tell him that everything was alright. And Ralph knew he couldn’t take things into his own hands, no matter how much he wanted to. In truth he’d seen the two of you in public with things getting a little too violent for his tastes before now – but he’d certainly never worried Jeannie with it. He’d always been able to dissolve the situation with a hi and seemingly friendly check in, badge and gun on prominent display. But he’d never heard the guy scream at you before today. Everyone was right – this was going to get so much worse. Even if you wanted to believe it was going to get better. Even if that was because you were disillusioned into doing so. You watched as Ralph walked back to his wife, every so often glancing back at you. Both of them looked more concerned for you than you’d ever seen anyone be. You’d never, ever, wanted to be a bother about this – but you were starting to realise that if anyone could help you out here, it was those two. You bit your lip gently, suddenly feeling guilty for putting them through so much on your behalf with how much they must worry. The only reason Ralph didn’t get more involved and push him away was because he didn’t want his involvement to get you in more trouble; you wished you could tell him that really wouldn’t matter. You needed to be brave and take a chance, but you hadn’t so far… and you weren’t sure what could possibly happen to you that would make you take the leap. As you turned back to him, and realised by the look in his eyes that you were likely to pay dearly for Ralph’s ‘interference’ later – you wondered if it would take the man nearly killing you. And if even then you would still go back… *** The knock at the front door made Ralph and Jeannie look to each other with raised eyebrows. This was certainly an odd time of day for anyone to be making house calls. Jeannie tensed for just a second and he understood why she’d get so worried. “I’ll get it…” Ralph placed his hand over hers, pushing his chair out. The sky was a murky grey, threatening rain any second – why would anyone even want to be out with it looking like this? He opened it hesitantly and stopped dead. Of all the things he might expect to see there, you with a bag slung over your shoulder, crying, was not one of them. “Y/N?!” His voice became urgent, because the second you saw his face you broke down into loud sobs, “Hey, hey it’s okay… It’s okay…” Ralph stepped down to the porch, and you stepped back instinctively from a taller male presence. There were more than just a few marks on your face – including a cut above your eye – and around your wrist. Ralph could guess there were others. That son of a bitch had put his hands on you again, that much was obvious. “I – I – I’m sorry, I-! I just, I-!” You couldn’t form coherent sentences, you weren’t even sure how to say it yet. He motioned with his hands to help you calm down, “It’s okay… Honey, it’s okay. You’re safe, it’s okay.” “I just didn’t know where else to go-!” Your body was still shaking with sobs and Ralph sighed gently, “It’s fine, Y/N, come here…. Please come in – Let’s talk, I’ll make you tea? Coffee? A drink – God, I’m rambling.” He placed a hand to his forehead, “Come on. I promise you, you’re safe here.” You followed him inside and he scanned around outside for any sight that that wretched man of yours might have followed you here – which would have meant an instant arrest. When Ralph didn’t see one, he closed the door and turned back to you, “Let me take your stuff, no, don’t protest.” He was firm, “Come on, darling, make yourself at home, you’re going to be alright…” Jeannie, coming to see what all the fuss was about, gasped as soon as she saw you; “OH! Y/N!” Hands to her mouth to see the state of you, which only sent you into another fit of crying and you ran to her; “Jeannie! I’m sorry-! I’m so sorry--!” “Shhh, silly girl…” She wound her arms around you lovingly, running her hands though your hair, “You came to us. There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Her voice was soft and calming, and it just made you sob harder for taking so damn long. Ralph stood back for a moment with a concerned smile on his face; on the one hand he was glad you were here. He would be able to protect you better from this distance. But you were still going through it – and now you were here, he wondered if he could finally get you to give him the information he needed. Ralph shouldn’t be thinking like that but he couldn’t help it. You were always adorable and sweet, so kind and desperate to see the good in people even when they hurt you. You were never one to be a bother, no matter what it cost you. One of the reasons why you had never wanted to say anything about what was happening to you – that much was already obvious to him. But considering how much everyone else loved you – especially around the precinct – they’d all got pretty protective in their own way. Ralph knew if you pressed charges now, the department was coming down on that asshole like a ton of bricks. He cleared his throat, making you slip from Jeannie’s arms and turn back to him; “I don’t want to do this, but you know I have to. As a detective and overly concerned citizen I have to know-” “Ralph!” Jeannie chided him, but you nodded “It’s okay, I get it.” You squeezed her hands gently, “He needs me to do this. And I need to do this too…” “Okay…” She didn’t look like she felt it was, but she let you follow Ralph into his office work space anyway. He sat you down, handing you a box of tissues, because you were still crying. “Take your time. I have plenty of it…” Ralph took the seat next to you, and your hands in his; he wanted to help calm you down – and it wasn’t a case yet, this wasn’t misconduct. It was just caring. “I know you don’t want to bother anyone, but coming here was the right choice. You know that, right?” You nodded, “I… I probably have for a long time…” “Do you-” Ralph hesitated, “Do you mind me asking what changed?” You bit your lip hard, eyes suddenly widening. You stayed silent for so long that Ralph thought that maybe you wouldn’t talk, maybe you would take it all back – maybe you would decide talking right now was after all not the best idea and you’d leave. He wasn’t sure he could stop you leaving the house but he’d sure try. Ralph couldn’t allow you to go back now you’d come so far – and Jeannie would never forgive him. He was about to tell you that you didn’t need to divulge to him now, that you could wait for a better time. A better place. When you’d calmed yourself and collected your thoughts on whether you really wanted to go through with this. Instead you took a deep breath, and with it came enough confidence to drop a bombshell he didn’t quite expect; “I’m pregnant.”

Ralph froze instantly – a thousand thoughts rushed to his brain. Pregnant!? Now what your significant other was doing to you wasn’t just affecting one person – that had so many implications in a court of law. All he could think about was Jack Hoskins affrontedly asking him what he would do if you ended up dead – now Ralph had to worry about two lives being taken; and he couldn’t stand for that either. “Well, shit.” He blew out a breath, unsure of what else to say – Congratulations didn’t seem very apt for the situation now, did it? “Does he know about the baby-?!” You shook your head slowly, and placed your fingers to your lips for a moment, pondering the situation, “No… you’re the only person I’ve told.” You gasped your next breath, swivelling to him; “Is that crazy-!? That’s crazy-!” He smiled, for lack of something better to do – but it was sweet and sympathetic; “You’re a brave girl, Y/N, you know that?” “I stuck up for him for so long, I’m not sure that’s the word I’d use Ralph.” “Hey…” He reached out, hand rubbing your shoulder gently, “Today you took the first step, that’s the hardest. I’m proud of you.” Then he chuckled, “We’re proud of you.” “I guess it’s about pressing charges, now right?” Ralph didn’t dare make himself look hopeful, it was bigger than that now; “One step at a time, Y/N…” His hand moved in gentle circles over your back, and it was weird for you to have a man touch you soothingly, you tensed and he stopped. “Sorry.” “No, It’s just…” You knew you didn’t need to finish the sentence; “-I mean, I guess I’m just scared of what happens now. But I knew I couldn’t stay, if he found out… things could get worse right? What if it got so bad that-” “Hey-! Hey-!” Ralph hushed you, “Don’t panic yourself…” He wasn’t sure how much he could reassure you, but he wanted to make sure you knew how truly safe you were. “He may just use it as another method of control, but you’re here now. We have a guest room, and you’re welcome to stay here. Jeannie will reiterate this much better than me! But my goodness…” He blew out a breath; “You are really something.” Then you were crying again, this time in relief, and you threw your arms around him; Ralph froze again, knowing that sudden movements may well startle you away from him once more; “It’s okay. Darling it’s okay…” He returned to soothing you gently. “Thank you, Ralph Anderson,” you sobbed, “you have no idea how much this means-!” “Hey…!” Although Ralph thought he did, “You took that step yourself. Give yourself the credit you deserve. You’ll get through this – And Jeannie and I will help, I promise you that.” You decided it might be best for you to calm down again before the two of you wandered back to Jeannie, who was waiting patiently for you. She held out her arms, and you found yourself running to her and taking her hands. “Jeannie…” Although you’d already confessed it to her husband, you found yourself having to take yet another deep breath in order to tell her; “Jeannie, I’m pregnant.” “Oh-! Oh. Honey.” Her hands left yours to delicately frame your face for a moment, “Honey…” before she pulled you to her in a tight hug, “You have us now, I promise… You know that don’t you?” You nodded into her shoulder, vision already blurring and just like that you were both crying again. Ralph leant against the wall for a moment keeping his ever-watchful eyes on you. But Jeannie caught his gaze, and with that same careful smile Ralph just nodded – he was aware she’d be thinking about Derek right now, because the same thought was running through his head. *** They left you to settle down and gather your thoughts in the guest room. You certainly had a lot to process right now, and both of them understood that. The Andersons had been through enough themselves. Jeannie hovered in the hallway though, and Ralph – recognising this behaviour – brought her coffee. “Hey, you alright?” At least she didn’t nod, because he’d know that was a lie – Jeannie was very clearly worried about you; still, she thanked him for the coffee. “What should we do?” “She’s not ours. We’re not her family.” Ralph was only being logical here. You were passed adoption age. If you didn’t want to stay, they couldn’t force you to. You were your own woman. The only hope now was that you’d come to them – you wouldn’t have done that if you weren’t considering staying away. “Why can’t we be? She has no one.” He hesitated, tipping his head thoughtfully. “She won’t be Derek, you know that too, don’t you?” Jeannie shot him a look, as if she needed reminding – but then softened, reaching out for him; “She needs a family Ralph. We can give her one… Our boy has nothing to do with it. But tell me you don’t feel this too?” He smiled gently; “Stronger than I’ve felt in a long while.” Ralph gave a nod, “But I think you should ask her. It will mean more from you.” “Me!?” But he could already see the joy light up on Jeannie’s face, “But you’ve dealt with her more than me!” “I’m still the law. The shelter has done wonders for her, it should certainly be you…” Jeannie clutched her coffee to her chest for a moment, and then nodded; “We’ll let her settle, I’ll take her some things and check in… and… ask.” Ralph nodded, “I’ll be there for moral support too, of course!” He chuckled, “Not that I think you need it.” He kissed her forehead and walked off to retrieve his own coffee, but Jeannie called him back. “Ralph.” “Mhm?” He turned. “Please… don’t tell me you’re just doing this for me – because of Derek?” “Baby,” He shook his head, “that girl, she needs us – right now she’s gonna need more support than she’s needed in her entire life. Even if our boy was still here, both of us know we’d offer her the exact same.” “It might take some getting used to,” she laughed, “another baby.” He grinned, “A baby with a baby, for sure. But we got this-! We certainly… got this.” Then he paused, “AH-! I best ring Jack, He’ll, uh… wanna know she’s okay.” Jeannie nodded, “Do it -! Give that man something to be cheerful about-!” Ralph’s laugh was clearly ironic, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the tone of it – “Yeah, right!” *** When Jeannie came back to check in on you, still sitting on the bed staring out of the window, she carried with her some towels and clothing. “Hey… Sweetheart, you doing okay?” “Oh. Yes-! Thank you… Both of you.” Ralph stood in the doorway, and you rose to greet them “This is all so very sweet of you.” Your smile conveyed all your gratitude; “You didn’t have to do this…” Jeannie took a deep breath, before smiling herself, “Y/N, would- would you like to stay?” “Oh… If it wouldn’t be any trouble? I… know Ralph said I could use this spare room but, I dunno, it might take me a while to gather my thoughts… if that’s okay? I mean-” “No. No, honey, would you like to stay?” You instantly blushed, looking away from them both and fiddling with the hem of your shirt you stammered your way through half a sentence, “Oh I… Oh-! I… I…” you laughed nervously, and a little smile appeared. By the time you looked back to the Andersons you were beaming. “No one has ever… wanted me to…” You nodded vigorously, “I would love to stay- I really-” you looked to Ralph to check that this was a real thing, and he was smiling just as encouragingly as his wife, ‘oh my god, they are the sweetest couple…’ You thought you might cry again; “Thank you!” “Welcome to the family.” Jeannie giggled as Ralph stepped down into the room to put his arm around her. “Make yourself at home.” “Because it is.” Jeannie affirmed, “It’s your home now.” “Home.” You tucked your hair back letting the word resound in your head, it wasn’t one you’d used in a long time… You’d not known something as safe as a home since you were very small. “That sounds nice…”

 *** Your legs were tucked up under your chair and you were biting your bottom lip so hard that Ralph thought you were bound to leave tooth marks if you weren’t careful. He’d offered to drive you over to the clinic today as his schedule was relatively clear. Jeannie was working or she’d be here too – but she had left you this morning with a hug and a “Good luck, honey!” that you appreciated. Ralph reached out and took your hand in his; “How you feeling?” “I don’t… I don’t even know.” You laughed, and everything about you screamed nervous, “I guess I never expected to be here.” “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’ve done this before so that makes me practically professional!” He was glad that made you laugh a little harder, and this time he chuckled along with you. “What’s it like?” “Well. I can only speak for the useless bystander. But the first time you see everything on an ultrasound…” He shook his head, happy to be talking about Derek positively for once, “…Incredible. A completely indescribable joy. I mean I know that… he is involved here but, I think it’s still going to be an amazing feeling for ya.” You nodded, turning to him with a big smile, “Thank you, for being here.” “Of course, sweetheart, I wouldn’t miss it.” Your name was called and you swallowed hard, almost frozen to the spot again. Ralph pushed your back encouragingly and you stood slowly, before turning to him; “I can’t do this without you, Detective.” “Y-You…” Ralph couldn’t help but light up, “You really want me in there?” “Mhm!” You nodded, chewing your lip and holding out your hand for his again. Ralph stood, enveloping your hand in his; “Alright. Together!”

You couldn’t exactly say that you were relaxed and, with how hard you were squeezing Ralph’s hand, he wouldn’t have said that either. But you were trying to calm yourself down, there were a lot of things to be nervous about, considering what you had come from… Ralph’s other hand stroked your shoulder affectionately, and he kept repeating that it was all going to be okay. In reality you had no doubt that he was right, but you were still scared. Or maybe how you felt was excitement? You weren’t even sure you could tell the difference. The sonographer smiled and turned to you, “All looks healthy and as it should!” Relief flooded you, “R-Really?” “Mhm…!” She nodded. “Would you like to see?” Your nod was eager as she turned the screen, and you felt tears prickle in the corner of your eyes. You weren’t about to stop them. “Hey, little one…” You whispered, wiping your eyes. Your grip on Ralph’s hand loosened significantly, but you still kept your hand in his. Ralph Anderson couldn’t help but get emotional, the last time he’d seen something like this it had been Derek on the screen. And he was as joyful about this as he was back then. Even though it was different – it didn’t feel so different to him. He squeezed your hand and you turned to him. Both of you had that same expression on your face; and both of you found your excitement indescribable. He gave you a soft wink; ‘I told you there was nothing to worry about!’ You could do naught but beam back, ‘I know. Thank you!’ You looked back to the screen and already you couldn’t wait to tell Jeannie. Maybe you’d ask Ralph if he could drop you off at the shelter… you weren’t sure you’d be able to save it until she got home. You allowed yourself to laugh, a gentle sound, and smiled again. ‘Welcome to the Anderson family-!’

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14/16 - 2 to go!!! 🙊🙊🙊

Thank you for reading!! This is another request where I’d really like to give it a sequel, so I really hope you enjoyed it! 🙏🥰🙊