Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Avery began to undress, resigned to his makeshift bed for the night. He deserved this, but his heart couldn't get too far down. Even when angry, Kane still took care of him. He had made his bed for the night. His mister always took care of him. He stretched out on the sofa and lay there for several long minutes, thinking about all the possibilities.
No, he wasn't wrapped around Kane, but he did fall asleep with the smile still on his face.
Chapter 16
August 1979 ~ Minneapolis, Minnesota
Avery sat with Kane in the small, sterile hospital waiting room. His concern landed squarely on his shell-shocked husband. The minutes ticked by and the whirlwind experience of the last several months came down to rest in these last few hours.
As it turned out, everyone was ready to jump on board the fertility bandwagon. Kane and Avery were excellent candidates. Not because they were gay men, or because Avery brought a certain notoriety to the procedure, but because they could pay and that made them perfect.
Today's procedure would implant the in vitro fertilized eggs into their donor's uterus. Approximately a month from now, they would know if any of the embryos took to create a viable pregnancy.
The process to get them here hadn't taken nearly as long as they'd expected. The medical community sat ready and waiting to make the same miracles happen for infertile couples across the world. Both the doctor and donor were in Minneapolis, meaning Avery and Kane would get to be involved with each step of the pregnancy until their baby was born. All they needed now was for the fertilized egg to take, and apparently that had been the tricky part in other cases.
Kane had won the battle and Avery went first. Avery had actually held on to his desire to have Kane be their first biological father until he slept on the sofa for a second night in a row. He didn't like being kicked out of their bed or at odds with Kane.
Interestingly enough, it hadn't been a porn magazine that helped him ejaculate into a cup, but Kane right there in the room with him. Kane had been his own personal porn show. It hadn't taken much—never did when Kane was around.
They were matched almost immediately with a female. She was a young, highly-educated physician in the same practice as their doctor. She was eager to make her mark on history. When they first met, they had spent hours talking with her and her husband, who, believe it or not, actually supported her decision to be their surrogate. A close friendship had grown over the past eight months and they couldn't have been happier, and everyone knew exactly where they stood in all of this.
Sophia Richardson was tall and blonde with an athletic build. She could have been Avery's sister, they looked so much alike. She met every one of Kane's long list of requirements in a donor and Avery personally worked out all the legalities. He covered each point Kane insisted upon, and many Kane hadn't thought of, until their budding little family was as fully protected as the law would allow.
Although gay adoption was still an uphill battle, the consensus amongst psychologists was clear—any children they had could turn out as well-adjusted as children in traditional families and Avery made sure Kane was legally protected if anything happened to him.
The only noise in the waiting room came from the large white and black clock hanging high on the wall. Avery bit at his fingernail and looked over at Kane who sat there, pale and quiet. Avery imagined he looked pretty much in the same condition. He forced himself to stop worrying his fingernail and reached over to thread his and Kane's fingers together, bumping Kane in the shoulder with his.
"What're you thinking?" Avery asked. Kane looked over at him a little dazed and confused.
With no hesitation, he whispered, "I honestly didn't know this would all come together so quickly."
"I hoped it might," Avery replied.
"If this takes, we'll have a baby in nine months," Kane whispered.
"But we can't get our hopes up, Kane. You know that. They said it rarely takes the first time. Maybe the fourth or fifth time, but not the first time," Avery explained. Even though Kane spoke in a whisper, Avery used his regular tone of voice, trying hard to manage their expectations.
"It's really expensive to do this over and over," Kane responded, his voice even lower than the whisper now.
"I know, but it'll be worth it," Avery said. Kane nodded and looked forward again. They'd made a joint agreement that they would be a part of every doctor's appointment, every pregnancy milestone until their baby was finally placed in their arms, no matter how long that took. The decision had actually been a joint one between Avery, Kane, Paulie, and Rodney since they would be picking up Kane's slack at La Bella Luna.
"I know I said I didn't doubt us and I don't, but are you sure you believe this is gonna be okay on our baby? I mean it just seems wiser to have the mother in the mix," Kane asked softly, his eyes downcast now.
"Honey, you know the answer to that," Avery said, trying to get Kane to look at him.
"Hmmm," was all he got back, and Kane started worrying his lip.
"Baby, you were meant to be with me. We have so much love, so much to offer a baby. We can do this. We can. Look at me, Kane." It took a moment, but Kane finally slid his eyes back to Avery. The worry there warmed his heart. His honey always took everything so seriously, it was exactly the reason he knew they would be good parents. "I promise this is going to be all right. I promise you. You're going to be the best mother/father combination on the planet. Trust me, okay?"
Kane said nothing, but turned his head back to the closed door where the procedure was taking place. Other than the biting of his lip, he sat so still he could have been a statue, a true sign of Kane's anxiety. Nothing Avery could say or do would help relieve Kane's concerns until this was all done. "Are you praying?"