The next time Lisa sees Jennie, she's in her nurse scrubs. But that only registers with Lisa secondarily because the first thing she notices is that Jennie is running.

Yes, running down the hall.

Lisa has just left her apartment to go to work. She usually doesn't run in to Jennie at that time, butㅡ

"I'm late!" Jennie calls as she begins running down the stairs.

"Jennie!" Lisa calls. "Wait! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Protective instincts are flaring up in her at the thought of a pregnant omega falling down the stairs.

Lisa catches up to Jennie, who's starting to breathe heavily as she continues to scurry down the stairs.

"You're late? Maybe I can give you a ride," Lisa offers.

"No," Jennie shakes her head. She has a hand under the swell of her belly now, drawing Lisa's eyes to it. "I have to take the subway."

Lisa furrows her brows. "Where's your work?"

Jennie tells her the district in the city and Lisa realizes that's the next one over from hers.

"Let me give you a ride," she insists. They've reached the bottom now, and the building's doors slide open. "It's on my way."

"No, I couldn't," Jennie says with a vehement shake of her head. "I'll just have to rush." She's already starting to pick up into a jog. Lisa hates to think that she walks so far just to get to the subway station.

"Jennie, just give it a try," Lisa says. "I want to give you a ride."

Jennie stops at that. She looks back at Lisa. She has a backpack slung over her shoulders, the type that high school kids wear to school. It looks cute on her.

"Really?"

And that's how Jennie ends up in the front seat of her car, being carefully driven away from the apartment.

Once she catches her breath, she tells Lisa where to go. It really is on her way to work, she just needs to take a different street.

"Thank you," Jennie says, voice soft and genuine. Lisa looks over at her, the way she has her bag in her lap and is chewing on her bottom lip as she worriedly looks ahead at the road.

"It's seriously no problem," Lisa says. "Besides," she adds, shifting in her seat. "On the subway... you..." she doesn't know how to phrase it.

"I know," Jennie says. "I know." she's obviously unmated, no mating mark or wedding ring to show. And she's obviously pregnant, that sweet milky scent following her everywhere she goes. "One time this perv tried to feel me up," she says quietly before shaking her head, as if shaking the memory away.

Anger rises up inside Lisa. "What an asshole." The more she thinks about it, the more angry she gets. Jennie just trying to commute, being felt up by some creep. "Do you remember what he looks like?"

Jennie laughs at that. "No. It's whatever," she shrugs.

"No." Lisa says, face hardening. "No, Jennie. That's not... that's not safe. Can I... give you a ride every day?"

Jennie honest to god rolls her eyes at that, and Lisa thinks she's starting to see her sassy side. "Please. I'm fine. I don't like... owing people." she mutters.

"You wouldn't be owing me if I want to," Lisa says. "What time do you usually get off?"

"Like... 6 or 8."

Lisa's a little concerned about her working so long, but it's not like there's anything she can do about that.

"Me too. I should pick you up."

Jennie continues to rebuff her attempts, and they continue to banter until the 20 minutes is up and they're on her street. The omega directs her to the building, a medical offices building with dentists and chiropractors as well.

"Umm. Thanks for the ride," Jennie says, stood on the sidewalk as she leans down to close the car door. Lisa's reminded of when she first came to give her new-neighbor brownies, all cute and shy with wide eyes. She seems reluctant to accept Lisa's willingness, almost like she's used to not getting any help.

"Of course. We'll leave earlier tomorrow," Lisa winks.

Jennie rolls her eyes again.

But she does eventually accept Lisa's offer, especially when she gets up half an hour earlier just to drop Jennie off on time for her work.

Jennie tells her about her job, about the patients she sees and how she basically does all the work for the doctor despite not having all the years of schooling. And that's when Lisa knows she's smart smart, smart enough to do anything she sets her mind to.

Like having a baby on her own.

Her scent grows richer every day, milky and musky.

One morning, about a month after starting their routine, Lisa is waiting outside her car while Jennie walks toward her. Everything seems usual but her face looks sad, her eyes flat where they stare ahead of her.

"Jennie? You okay?" Lisa opens the door for her and helps her inside, putting her bag in the backseat.

"Yeah," Jennie sighs.

Lisa walks around the car and starts it, then asks, "Really? You don't look..." she trails off, glancing over at Jennie.

"It's just..." Jennie says, eyes downcast. Lisa hates seeing her like this. "My ex," she says under her breath.

Lisa hums. She doesn't press for more, but she's burning with curiosity. Is this the alpha father of the baby?

"He was calling me last night," Jennie says. "I don't pick up for him, though. I even have him blocked. He was calling me as an unknown caller. Like, 12 times. Kind of scared me."

Lisa lets that sink in, and makes a noise of acknowledgement. "Do you know what he wanted?"

Jennie shakes her head slowly, side to side. "No. It's always random things. Trying to rope me back into his life."

"And you don't want to be roped back in," Lisa says, a guess.

Jennie scoffs. "Hell no. If I could give advice to anyone in the world," Jennie says, confidently, then deflates a bit. "It would be to never sleep with your ex after you've broken up just because you're comfortable with them. And definitely don't forget to use protection..." she mutters the last part.

Lisa chuckles, which makes Jennie smile a bit despite how dejected she looks. "I've slept with an ex before, too. You both know you're not going to get back together, it just happens, right?"

"Yeah," Jennie sighs. "That's exactly it." She leans back in the seat and places both hands on her stomach. It's a little bigger than when Lisa first met her, the swell more noticeable in her scrubs.

"Uhm, by the way... I brought you this," Lisa tells her then, just remembering about the donut she brought this morning for Jennie. It's just a small thing, something she picked up at a bakery on her way home. But it's not a small thing when it changes Jennie's face from gray and cloudy to bright and sunny, when it makes the omega smile so wide and squirm in her seat with excitement.

"Yum," she hums, taking the donut from Lisa. "Thank you. Ooh, lemon cream?"

Lisa nods and laughs when Jennie bites into it because she gets cream on her cheek.

The ride is over too soon.