Her Motherhood Wish (Parent Portal 3)

“An amniocentesis next week.”

She had a whole week to wait. That wouldn’t be easy.

Hopefully she wasn’t going to be doing it alone. “Are you married?”

“No. Are you? I’m sorry, I should have asked. Your wife should certainly be consulted, since we’re talking about an intrusive medical procedure...”

About to tell her that Elaina didn’t really play into decisions like this one, he checked himself, threw the Frisbee, let Retro go and admitted, “I’m divorced. But...” If he needed someone to be there after the procedure, to care for him... “We still share a residence,” he told her. “She has her space, with her own entrance, and I have mine. She could be around if it came to me needing someone present after the procedure.” To drive him home. Whatever.

He heard the splash as Retro went in. Felt the cold spray as she came back to him, dropping her prize and shaking herself off.

“Would you like time to speak with her, then, before you give a definitive answer?” Her tone had become more guarded.

He’d meant to relieve Cassie, let her know he had all bases covered—not send new alarm in her direction.

“No. She’s at work. And I don’t need her buy-in, although I’ll tell her about it, of course.” Wanting to give her everything he had that could possibly help, he added, “She’s a resident at Oceanfront,” he continued. “Nuclear radiology. She knows pretty much everybody there and will be fully supportive if there’s any issue...”

As would Peter have been. “My brother was in medicine, too,” he added, so unlike himself, as though he was trying to get good credit for himself on his brother’s merit. “Obstetrics and gynecology,” he added, because it was somewhat pertinent to the current conversation, in that they were talking about an unborn child.

And because Peter had been the reason he’d donated sperm in the first place. Wood threw the disc all the way to the back of the yard again. There was wet fur to dry.

“Was in medicine? He’s not anymore?”

“He was killed in a car accident just over five years ago.”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. No, wait. Was it that accident with the drunk driver going the wrong way on the exit ramp? A doctor was killed...”

And the drunk driver had been an underage teen who’d pretty much gotten away with murder. The case had been in local news for more than two years afterward.

“Yes.” There was nothing else to say about it. He didn’t need or want her sympathy. He wanted... “What did your doctor tell you? What’s her opinion?” He knew all medical professionals had them, knew that most of them were trustworthy and often right.

“She said she can’t tell anything from the ultrasound other than that there’s an abnormality in the video. It could be that the baby’s anemic. It could be...leukemia...”

His hand dropped to Retro’s head. Stayed there a moment before he bent to pick up the disc the Lab had just returned.

“Did she give you percentages on how often a test result that looks like yours comes back as leukemia?” He needed facts. Held himself stiffly. Couldn’t let fear, worry, get in the way.

“She said there’s a good chance it isn’t.” The woman’s voice was soft. He wanted to go to her. Make things better, but had no idea where she was. Who she was, other than a name. “And that there’s also a chance that it is.”

In other words, the doctor really didn’t know at that point. He knew the lingo.

“There are other blood conditions, things that have to do with Rh negative and positive mixtures, but that possibility was ruled out before insemination.”

Cassie Thompson was just a voice

on the phone. It wasn’t enough. Not when a woman carrying his sperm was in distress.

“Do you have family there with you? Support?” he asked, throwing the disc again.

“I haven’t told anyone yet,” she said, a bit hesitantly. “I don’t want to until I know more about what’s going on. I’m struggling enough with my own worry without having to take on everyone else’s.”

He got that. Completely. Though he had to point out, “They might be able to help you, to ease the burden a bit...” He’d never really been able to see a way for that to work for him, but he’d seen it in others. Elaina, for one. She’d said many times, told other people, too, that Wood being there for her after the accident had saved her life, said that, without the physical security and emotional support he’d provided, she wouldn’t have made it. He’d only done what family did.

“It makes me feel weak when people worry about me,” she said.

He’d never thought of it that way, but he got exactly what she was saying. And then said, “So how about if you and I meet for lunch or something? I know what’s going on, but I’d be more like an extension of the medical team—not someone whose feelings you’d need to worry about.”

He felt a bit stupid when he heard his words. “I’m not coming on to you,” he blurted out, sure he’d quickly made matters worse. “Seriously,” he said, looking for a way to reassure her and coming up blank. “I just... I’d like to do something to help...offer what support I can. And it makes sense, just in case things don’t turn out how we’d like and you need my bone marrow, that we’ve actually met before we get into all that. I could have Elaina call you if you’d like. To vouch for me.”