The Question (6 page)

While she couldn’t deny that being waited on hand and foot was very appealing, it didn’t compare to being in her own place. Despite how welcome Crystal and Rashid had endeavored to make her feel, she could never forget that she was a guest in their home.

She couldn’t wait to get back to work—back to the real world. She was beginning to feel hemmed in, caged. She needed to get out, and she needed to get laid.  She didn’t know if it was the pregnancy or what, but her body had come to life with a vengeance.

When Jason died, everything sexual within her being died with him, or so she had believed, but it was only hibernating, frozen into a deep sleep by her grief. Now she was thawing out, her body and emotions coming alive.

Just because she wasn’t interested in being married again didn’t meant she couldn’t enjoy having a man in her life and in her bed. She would take her time and take it slow. While she wasn’t interested in happily ever after, neither was she cut out for one-night stands.  She was looking for more of a ‘friend with benefits’ type relationship. Nothing too serious. Nothing that would threaten her heart. Just someone that she enjoyed spending time with who wouldn’t mind adding a little sex to the mix occasionally.  That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

Rashid climbed out of the pool and dried off, his body barely covered in a small piece of black cloth masquerading as a bathing suit. He kept himself in good shape. Jason had been like that. She smiled with the memory. No matter how busy he’d been, Jason had always made time to exercise and keep in shape. He said a toned body made for a sharp mind. Apparently, he and Rashid had that in common.

Rashid wrapped the towel around his neck and walked off. 

Gail sighed. Show’s over. She got off the floor and climbed back into bed. For one more week, there was nothing to do and no place to go, and her only motivation for getting out of bed just went back into the house. It was going to be another long, boring day.

* * * *

Today was the day. Gail was so excited she couldn’t stand it. Rashid wanted to drive her to the doctor’s office but she had refused. She was driving and after her appointment, treating herself to a day out on the town.

First, she was going to the spa for a facial, a pedicure, manicure, and a massage.  Then, she was going to eat a decadent lunch, loaded with calories. Finally, she was topping off the day with shopping. Something she hadn’t done in ages. But she couldn’t do any of those things until Dr. Hagan released her.

Crystal and Rashid joined her in the waiting room. When the nurse called for her to come back, all three of them stood, causing the nurse’s eyebrow to rise. “Will both of you be accompanying Ms. Henderson?”

“Yes,” Gail answered for them. “Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s not. I was just surprised. Come this way so that I can get your vitals.”

Crystal and Rashid stood by and watched as Gail was weighed and her blood pressure was taken. Then she had to go pee in the cup.  Oh joy!

Rashid stood outside the exam room while she undressed and put on the paper gown.  Once she was sufficiently covered and situated, Crystal called him inside. It was beyond awkward, sitting there, the next thing to naked with Rashid there in the room.  Actually, she wasn’t too comfortable with Crystal seeing her nude, but at least she was a girl. She had all the same equipment. Rashid was all male.

And the father of this child, her conscious reminded her.

Dr. Hagan came into the room and she focused her attention on him. Maybe he was aware of the tension in her body or he was just sensitive to the awkwardness of the situation, but he had Rashid sit where he could be a part of the procedure but not too up close and personal for her comfort.

Dr. Hagan did the whole routine, including a full pelvic exam. Nothing like having a man with his whole hand up your unmentionables with spectators watching the show. “Everything looks good. How’s your appetite?” Dr. Hagan asked as he removed his glove and let down the stir-ups.

“It’s okay. I’m eating more frequently and eating smaller meals.”

“Good. Any nausea?

“A little. Not that often. I’m having more heartburn than anything.”

“Stay away from fried, greasy food. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and drink milk.  It should go away.”

“Milk gives me gas. I don’t like milk.” Gail couldn’t help the frown on her face.  Baby or no baby, she was not drinking milk.

“What about yogurt? Do you like yogurt?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. Kind of sweet.”

“Eat lots of it. I don’t care what kind. It’s good for your digestive system and a good source of calcium. Eat it for the baby. If you don’t get enough calcium, the baby will take it from your bones.  We don’t want that to happen.”

“No, we don’t. Okay, I’ll get some yogurt.”

“Now, let’s check on the baby. How would you two like to see your child?” Dr. Hagan asked Crystal and Rashid.

“Oh, could we? That would be wonderful,” Crystal answered for both of them.

“Prepare her for an ultrasound,” Dr. Hagan said to the nurse.

The nurse laid a towel over Gail’s hips and another one over her chest, preserving her modesty and leaving her stomach bare. Her belly was just beginning to pooch out, something only noticeable when bare like it was now. Then she squeezed goo on Gail’s belly.

Dr. Hagan moved the ultrasound machine closer to the bed and motioned for Rashid and Crystal to move forward.  Crystal stood on Gail’s right while Rashid stood behind her, near the head of the exam table.

Dr. Hagan placed the scanner on Gail’s belly and the monitor came to life. “Well, lookie there,” he said. “What do you know? Looks like you folks are getting two for the price of one.”

“What are you talking about?” Gail asked confused. She was still trying to make sense of the images on the monitor, which was hard to do with Dr. Hagan rolling the scanner around like he was. The picture kept moving. A glance at Crystal and Rashid showed they were trying to do the same.

“What I’m saying is that we’ve got ourselves a set of twins.” The rest of what Dr. Hagan was saying was drowned out by the buzzing in her ears. Twins? How did this happen? She hadn’t taken any fertility drugs to increase ovulation. She and Crystal had decided to try insemination without it the first couple of times, only falling back on the drugs as a last resort. They’d been trying to prevent something like this from occurring.

While her mind was reeling, her eyes had been tracking Dr. Hagan as he explained to the stunned parents-to-be exactly what they were seeing on the monitor. Gail tuned back just in time to hear Dr. Hagan tell Rashid it was too soon to determine the sex of the babies but that in another month or two, he should be able to tell.

Then he put down the scanner, removed his gloves, and took the printout from out of the machine and handed it to Crystal. “Here’s your first baby picture. Take it, and you and Rashid go into my office and wait.”

Once they were gone, he turned to Gail. “The nurse is going to help you get cleaned up.  Once you are dressed, come to my office and we’ll discuss things.”

“Alright,” Gail agreed, still partially dazed.  Two babies weren’t actually a problem, she reminded herself. Rashid had covered multiple births in the contract. She just never thought that it would happen. She hoped Crystal could handle it. Being a mother to one newborn was tough enough. Now they were talking about two.

Oh well, not her problem. At least, she couldn’t let it be her problem. That way laid disaster. She couldn’t allow herself to be concerned about the quality of care these babies received outside of the womb. Her job was to be an incubator. Incubators had no feelings. She couldn’t afford to have any either. That was one of the things the online surrogate support group she’d joined stressed.

Gail dressed and joined the others in the office. Rashid rose from his chair, allowing her to be seated. Dr. Hagan came in behind Gail and sat behind his desk.  “I’m pleased with the weight you’ve gained and the development of the babies. Actually, the extreme nausea you experienced in the beginning was a good sign. It means you had a good amount of the pregnancy hormones flooding your system. There is no danger of miscarriage.”

Gail inwardly groaned. Sure, it’s a good thing ‘cause he wasn’t the one going through it.

“I still want you to take it easy. Take care of yourself. A healthy mother means healthy babies.  I’m releasing you to return to work. I don’t want you working more than thirty hours per week. If you feel yourself getting tired, rest.” At his words, she wanted to jump up and down with joy, but restrained herself.

Dr. Hagan played with his pen before continuing. “Keep eating like you have been. Soon you’ll find yourself eating more as your body’s demand for calories increases. I want you to get some form of low-impact, aerobic exercise daily, preferably walking or swimming. It will help with the delivery. They have yoga classes specifically designed for expectant mothers. You may want to check it out. Does anyone have any questions for me?”

“Is she really okay to be released on her own?” Rashid asked.

Gail’s eyes narrowed and she glanced at Rashid in warning. His attention was totally focused on Dr Hagan and didn’t notice.

“Yes, she should be fine. Gail has entered her second trimester. Her appetite and energy levels should increase and her system balance out. We’ll review the situation again when she enters the third. She’ll find herself tiring easier, have more difficulty getting around, and premature delivery will be more of a concern, but that’s another two to three months from now,” Dr. Hagan told him.

Gail could tell from the expression on Rashid’s face that he was hoping for a different answer.  She looked at Crystal to see what her reaction was to all of this. Her expression was surprisingly neutral.

“Any more questions?” Dr. Hagan asked the group. When everyone responded in the negative, he told Gail, “See you back in four weeks.” He stood and excused himself from the room.

“Well,” Crystal said, “that was certainly exciting. Now that you have your freedom back, what do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to the spa to get the full treatment. Then, I’m going shopping. My clothing’s getting a little tight in the waist. Another couple of weeks and I won’t be able to fasten them at all.”

At her words, Rashid went into his wallet and pulled out a black credit card with an American Express logo on it. He held it out to Gail.

“What’s this for?” she asked, making no attempt to take it. The Centurion Black card from American Express was so exclusive you couldn’t even apply for it. AmEx issued it by special invitation only. There was no way she was touching it.

“You stated you have a need for more clothing. According to our agreement, we are responsible for supplying all of your pregnancy related needs.” He motioned for her to take the card.

“I can’t use your credit card, Rashid. I’m not your wife. They’ll think I stole it.” Gail tried to push it away.

Rashid took her hand, pried it open when she tried to resist, and placed the card inside, closing her fingers around it. “It’s not my card. I opened an account in your name to cover all of your expenses. Charge whatever you need against it—food, clothing, etc—and the bills will come to me.”

Crystal snatched the card out of Gail’s slack hand. “You got her a Black American Express?  Don’t you think that’s a bit much? I don’t even have one of these.” She flipped it right side up to reveal Gail’s name etched on the card.

“Crystal’s right. I appreciate the sentiment, but I can’t accept it.”

“It’s not sentiment. It’s a legal obligation and gratitude to the mother of my children,” Rashid said as he took the card from Crystal and handed it back to Gail.

Crystal sucked in a sharp breath.

“Rashid, I’m not the mother of your children. Crystal is. I’m just the incubator.”

“Yes, yes,” he said dismissively. “Is this not what I mean? Regardless of how you term it, through your generosity our dream of children is being realized. It is the least that we can do.”

Gail looked worriedly at Crystal, her concern over the card forgotten.

“Take the card, Gail. He’s right. We are responsible for your expenses while you’re pregnant. After all, you’re giving us the use of your body and your time. The least that we can do to make sure that it doesn’t cost you anything financially.”

“Are you sure?” Gail was hesitant. Crystal was saying all the right words but something about it didn’t ring true.

“I’m positive.” This time, Crystal smiled. “If I didn’t have a meeting today with a new client, I would be going with you to help you spend Rashid’s money.”

The smile is what convinced Gail. It was sincere. “Okay, if you’re really sure.”

“I am. Are you coming back to the house tonight?” Crystal asked.

“Maybe not tonight. I’ve been away from home for too long.”

“Okay, call me when you get in and tell me about your day. I’ve got to go.” Crystal gave Gail a hug.

“I will.”

“I’ll see you at home,” Crystal told Rashid. She walked out the door, leaving Gail and Rashid to trail behind. Rashid waited while Gail set up her next appointment and input the date and time into his BlackBerry.

He escorted Gail to her car and waited until she was settled inside. Before she could close the door, he asked, “Have you given any more thought to my request?”