The ticking of the clock became more and more penetrating and louder, which was probably just imagination. Anyway, this increased Avery's nervousness. From the way her leg was bouncing up and down and the way she was biting her manicured fingernails, anyone who strolled past her could probably tell that she was nervous.

The depressing hospital hallway didn't help give her pleasant thoughts either. There were still ten minutes until the appointment until the doctor, with whom Tara had made an appointment, would bring her into the consulting room. And Happy still wasn't here.

About an hour ago he had sent her a text saying that he would hurry up and come as fast as he could, but that Jax still needed him for something. Presumably as a backup, as there was a meeting with the Chinese today.

The younger Dvorak wasn't angry or disappointed, she knew that the club could need Happy at any time and that things could happen spontaneously. Still, she hoped he would make it in time.

To distract herself, she looked down at her phone, which she had been holding in her hand the whole time in case Happy would call. Or if there was something with Debbie. Since her boyfriend wasn't available at the moment, the kindergarten would contact her, which made her smile.

Happy trusted her so much that he even had her listed alongside Gemma as an emergency contact for Debbie.

When Lyla's name flashed on the screen she hummed contently as she typed a reply. An afternoon of shopping the day after tomorrow with Ima and her sister sounded good to her, so she wouldn't say no to that. Lyla also told her to call her later and tell her about the appointment.

"Hey babe." When she heard Happy's raspy voice and he plopped down on the chair next to her, she let out a sigh of relief. "I have to leave again after the appointment, but Jax let me go for now. Have you seen the doctor yet?"

"Hi", she murmured, smiling, entangling her fingers with Happy's after he reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "Thanks for coming anyway. And yes, I saw him earlier. He should get us soon."

"I told you I'd be there", he croaked, keeping his eyes on her for a moment. It was hard to miss the fact that she was nervous. "What's wrong, little girl? You're nervous as hell."

Apparently she wasn't good at hiding her nervousity. So, she shrugged uncertainly. "What if I can't have children?"

"You want kids?", Happy asked, sincerely wanting to know.

"Before I met you, I didn't really care. The thought was nice, but I also would've been happy without kids", she said honestly, and there was nothing wrong with that. "But when I see you with Debs, it's just beautiful to watch and it makes me want to have kids with you. Not now, but maybe in a few years."

Happy sighed quietly as he noticed the change from uncertainty to longing in her expression, whereupon he removed his hand from hers and put his arm around her shoulder. "That's how I feel, too", he grunted, barely audible.

He didn't like to talk about feelings or how he was feeling, especially when he was nervous. And he was, only he knew how to hide it.

"Really?" Avery looked up at him in surprise, her blue eyes filled with curiosity. "I didn't think you'd want more children."

"I didn't." He shrugged before locking his eyes with hers. "Debs wasn't planned, and at first I wasn't thrilled. But once she was there, I knew that I would do anything for her. Nevertheless, I was sure that I didn't want a second one and made sure that an unwanted pregnancy wouldn't happen again. But seeing how lovingly you treat Debbie, how caring you are, shows me that you're a great mom."

Avery swallowed quietly, quite touched by his words. "That you think I would be a good momᅳ that means a lot to me, Hap."

"You're already one", he said casually, as if it wasn't news to him. "Maybe we'll get better news than you think."

"I'm not a mom yet", she looked up at him confused, one eyebrow shooting up. Finally she nodded, trying to think positively. "You're right, we could get good news. Would you still stay with me if I couldn't have children?"

It was nice to know that he shared the same wish and wanted to have kids with her at some point, but it would be just as nice and reassuring if she knew whether he would stay with her even if she couldn't give him that.

"You're a better mom to Debbie than Kim ever was, and even though you're not her birth mother, you're still the closest thing Debbie ever had to a mother", he said and also meant it. Happy wouldn't just say stuff like this to make Avery feel better.

"Why do you have to say such emotional things to me today?", she asked with a laugh, quickly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. He really didn't know how happy those words made her.

"Because it's the truth, Avery", he finally answered with the slightest smile before pressing a kiss to her temple. "And to your other question; of course I'll still stay with you. It would just be nice if it worked at some point."

But he could also live with it if it didn't work. They had Debbie; it was okay to only have one kid. And the results wouldn't change the feelings he had for Avery.

"Miss Dvorak?" They both looked up when an unfamiliar voice sounded next to them. Because of the conversation they were engrossed in, they didn't even notice that someone had come out of the room.

"Yes, that's me." Once she was on her feet and had adjusted her bag on her shoulder, she held out her hand to the doctor. "We're here for the appointment Dr. Knowles made for us."

"Correct." He politely shook hands with both of them, not showing a single sign of prejudice towards Happy like most doctors here did when they saw a man with a Reaper on his back. "Come with me, I'd like to do a few tests and then we'll sit down and talk."

"What tests exactly?" Happy inquired, still a little suspicious. It was just in his nature.

“A complete blood count, an ultrasound and a few smears", the doctor explained kindly. "You can be there if Miss Dvorak doesn't mind."

"No, I would actually like to have him there", Avery immediately assured the doctor with a friendly but nervous smile, although she relaxed when she felt Happy's hand on her back.

"Okay, then there's no problem. Follow me." Just a moment later they were in a room where a nurse was already waiting to take Avery's blood.

ᚔ

Avery shifted impatiently in her chair and her leg started bouncing up and down again while Dr. Meyer leafed through Avery's old medical files, which he had requested a few days ago.

To calm her, Happy placed a hand on her leg, applying gentle pressure to show her there was no reason to be nervous. His brown eyes rested on her, watching her lips curl again and again.

"It's okay, little girl." As so often, his deep, gravelly voice managed to calm her down and get through to her. "Calm down."

"I can't", she admitted in a murmur, almost ashamed that such a harmless situation could make her so fucking nervous.

"Your partner is right." Dr. Meyer put his glasses aside before looking at the couple with an encouraging expression. "I think I have good news."

"You have? So, does that mean I can have kids?" Avery asked cautiously, afraid of the answer she might get. Happy also tensed up, which she could feel in the pressure of his hand on her leg. Now it was she who placed a reassuring hand on his.

"It's not impossible, let's put it that way", the doctor tapped the files with his index finger. "Your condition is by no means as bleak and frightening as it says. Although you only have one ovary, which makes having children more difficult, I have had enough women who suddenly found themselves pregnant despite several doctors telling them beforehand that it was impossible."

"So we don't need the other test results anymore?", Happy wanted to know, all of this new to him.

"Well, the other tests are also important and will tell us a lot about Miss Dvorak's values and fertility. We can also check straight away whether she is missing any important vitamins and minerals that could limit her. But I think everything will be fine", the doctor explained in detail, hoping to give the couple some hope back. "What you shouldn't do is put yourself under pressure. With only one ovary it can take years, for some it never worksᅳ but I don't think that'll be the case for you guys."

"Okay, that actually sounds pretty good." A smile automatically crossed Avery's beaming face before she glanced at Happy. "That means we can try for it someday."

"Mhmm..that's good", Happy grumbled, his arm resting on the side of the chair, his finger rubbing his chin as he tried to respond neutrally, but the corner of his mind also twitched upwards.

"It is", Avery grinned, confident that Happy was just as happy as she was, but didn't want to show it in front of the doctor. The redhead  looked at the Dr. Meyer again. "When can I expect the rest of the results?"

"I had the values sent away with a request for urgency. I think I should be able to tell you more tomorrow afternoon or the day after tomorrow at the latest", said Dr. Meyer. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No, no I don't think so", Avery looked at Happy again. "What about you?"

Happy shook his head, squeezing her thigh. "Me neither."

"Okay, then we're done for today. I'll call you as soon as the results come back", Dr. Meyer informs them, glanced at his watch and stood up, extending his hand to the couple before shaking first Avery's, then Happy's hand. "I have my next appointment. If you have any questions, just call me or let Dr. Knowles know."

Avery nodded gratefully before standing up, as did Happy. "We will. Thank you, Dr. Meyer."

Happy looked after the doctor for a moment and waited until the door closed behind him before he pulled Avery into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her petite body.

"You can bet that in two years at the latest you'll carry a little Lowman under your heart", he croaked, smirking against her lips, which he then captured with his and kissed her while his hands cupped her face.

"Oh, so you already have a plan, huh?", she asked amused and a little out of breath after breaking away from the kiss. "I hope you stick with it, handsome."

"You don't have to worry about that." His raspy laugh filled the not-so-large room and filled her chest with warmth. She loved hearing his laugh.

Totally in love, Avery looked at him and adjusted the collar of his Kutte. "We're getting more serious. I like it."

"If I commit, it'll be for real and probably for the rest of my life", Happy grunted, rubbing both thumbs over her cheekbones. "So don't even try to get rid of me."

"I would never", she gasped playfully with a smirk plastered on her face, yet she was dead serious.

She wouldn't find a man like Happy again and she didn't think their relationship would ever turn to shit. The redhead just had a feeling that Happy was someone with whom you could get through difficult times, that he was the one. Her ride or die.

He grunted in annoyance when he felt his phone vibrate, shoved his hand into his pocket and took a look at it. "Shit, I have to go. Sorry babe. See you at home?"

"Sure, go. I'll stop by Tara for a moment and thank her again for getting us this appointment." She pulled him down a little by his collar so she could steal a kiss from his lips again. "Be careful, handsome."

"Always. Be careful too, little girl", he kissed her again and squeezed her hip gently before  he then was forced to leave the redhead back at St. Thomas.