A/N: This is the sequel to my story "Snippets of Life." If you didn't read that one, you shouldn't have a problem understanding this story. I won't be updating this one as often, maybe once a week. If anything about this chapter or any chapter isn't actually true, then please tell me. I'm not experienced in the medical field, but I used the internet to my advantage.
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Neither of us knew how to react when we went to the doctor.
"Well, that's a first." I said as I met up with Natasha in the car.
"Pretty awkward, huh?" she smirked as she started the car and began to drive away from the Fertility Clinic.
"Yeah, I'll say. I've never had to deliver my own sperm to a clinic before. Never want to experience that again."
"Well, let's hope you won't have to. We can just get the tests done and get an answer and be done with it. Anything interesting to report?"
"Nope. I was feeling boatloads more uncomfortable than the nurse at the desk. But she did tell me that I had lots of it in that container."
"That's lovely. Should I go back in there and make sure that she remembers that she shouldn't say things like that to Black Widow's husband?" she asked as she arched an eyebrow.
"I think that would be counterproductive, actually. But I wouldn't mind; shows you really do love me." I told her as I batted my eyelashes at her, a slight smile gracing her lips, "So have you come up with anything to ask the doctors tomorrow?"
"Yeah, some pretty basic stuff. What are the possible reasons we haven't yet conceived, what kinds of tests do we need, what treatment do you recommend trying first, what side effects are associated with the treatment you're recommending. Have you come up with any?"
"I wanna know if I'm the reason we can't seem to conceive. Nothing should be wrong with you, so it's gotta be me. I'm the one who won't stop blowing out my eardrums with my exploding arrows."
"Those two don't relate in the slightest, Clint. But we'll see soon. Right now, I'm dying for some Shwarma."
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"Natasha and Clint Romanoff? Doctor Hu will see you now." A nurse told us.
"Why are we Natasha and Clint Romanoff? That's not how it works." I whispered to Natasha as we followed the nurse into the exam room.
"I like it. Let's not tell her." She smirked and turned into the exam room.
I was about to make a sarcastic remark, but I was cut off when we entered the exam room and saw Doctor Hu writing on a clipboard.
"Ah, hello. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff." Doctor Hu said as he extended his arm, shaking hands with us, "I'm Doctor Sarah Hu. It's very nice to meet you."
Doctor Hu was a young woman about the age of thirty. She had long dark brown hair, pale skin, and glasses. She wore a ring on her left ring finger, so I'm guessing that she was married to an Asian man, considering that "Hu" isn't a very American name.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Doctor Hu." Nat said and shook her hand, and I did the same.
"I don't want to make this appoint seem overly professional, so why don't you both take a seat and we can ask each other some questions." She motioned to two chairs in a corner of the room and Natasha and I took a seat. Doctor Hu pulled up a stool and say down with us.
"Do either of you have anything you're absolutely dying to ask me before we begin?" she asked in a kind voice.
Natasha and I shook our heads and allowed Doctor Hu to ask us the first round of questions.
"Alright, we'll start with the usual. First, I have some questions for both of you. I'm sorry if these questions seem a bit personal, but they're essential in this process. There are a lot of questions, too. So first thing's first, how long have you been having sex without birth control?"
"Ten months." Natasha answered.
Doctor Hu wrote it down on her clipboard, "And how long have you been actively trying to get pregnant?"
Natasha looked to me and we calculated the time in our heads, "Ten months." I replied.
"How frequently do you have intercourse?"
"Erm… A couple of times a week?" I answered awkwardly.
"Do you use any lubricants during sex?"
"Of course."
"Do either of you smoke?"
"No." we responded simultaneously.
"Have either of you been treated for any other medical conditions, including sexually transmitted infections?"
"I haven't," I answered, "At least, not that I'm aware of," I turned to Natasha, "Did I have any infections from our mission in the Forbidden Forest?" I smirked at the nickname we had given the place.
"No, you didn't, thank Odin. And I haven't had any, either."
"Woderful. And how much does stress play a role in your lives?"
Natasha and I chuckled, "A rather large part."
"I see." Doctor Hu wrote something down on her clipboard again, "And one final question for the pair of you. How satisfied are you with your relationship?"
"Very happy. Overjoyed, really. Wouldn't trade it for the world." I told her honestly.
The corner of Natasha's mouth turned up like she was suppressing a smile.
"That's wonderful. And what do you think, Mrs. Romanoff?" Doctor Hu asked.
"I'd have to say the same."
Doctor Hu wrote down a few more things before focusing her attention on Natasha, "I have some questions for you, now."
Natasha nodded, telling her to proceed.
"At what age did you start menstruating?"
"Thirteen."
"What are your cycles typically like? How regular, long, and heavy?"
Natasha took a moment to think, "Every twenty eight days, usually five days, and they're heavier in the first three days."
Doctor Hu wrote all of this down and asked her another question, "Have you ever been pregnant before?"
Natasha's face fell for a moment but answered quickly, "No."
"Have you ever been evaluated for infertility in the past?"
"No."
Doctor Hu made two Xs on her clipboard, "Have you been charting when you ovulate? For how many cycles?"
"Yes, I have. For the past ten years."
Dang, that's a long time. I'm not positive what ovulating is, but ten years seems like a pretty long time to chart something.
"Have you been treated for any other medical conditions?"
"I've had a few broken limbs here and there."
Doctor Hu wrote more down, "Are you currently taking any medications, including dietary supplements or anabolic steroids?"
"Nope."
"Do you use alcohol or recreational drugs? How often?"
"I drink every once in a while. I don't make a habit of it, though. Maybe one or two every couple of months."
Unlike Stark, who has a drink every couple of hours.
"That's good to hear." Doctor Hu smiled and wrote it down, "What is your typical daily diet? Does it include caffeine?"
"Fruits and eggs for breakfast, usually ham and cheese for lunch, usually some snack foods here and there if I'm in the mood for it, meat or pasta for dinner. Generally healthy foods."
"Do you exercise regularly? How much?"
"I exercise every day for at least two hours."
"Really? That's superb. Any reason why?" Doctor Hu asked.
"My job requires me to be physically active. It's actually pretty fun."
"That's great. It's nice to love what you do."
"Yeah, it is."
Yeah, it is, isn't it?
"One more question. Has your body weight recently changed?"
"It hasn't. I've maintained the same body weight since I turned seventeen."
Holy shit, Tasha. I didn't even know that was possible.
"I'm not even going to begin to ask how you've managed that," she laughed, "But I'm going to guess that it has to do with your job." She scribbled some more notes down and turned to me, "And now some questions for you."
"Ooh boy."
"Don't worry, there are only seven. You'll be finished soon. At what age did you start puberty?"
Do I have to answer this? "Ah… Eleven, I think."
"Have you had any sexual problems in this relationship, including difficulty maintaining an erection, ejaculating too soon or not being able to ejaculate?"
Good God, Tasha's questions weren't nearly as embarrassing, "No, no problems there." It's very difficult not to get a hard-on with Natasha.
"Do you use recreational drugs, including marijuana? How often?"
"None at all."
She wrote down my previous answers and asked me another question, "Are you exposed through your work or lifestyle habits to chemicals, pesticides, radiation or lead?"
"Chemicals and pesticides, yes. Not sure about radiation or lead, though I probably have been once."
She pursed her lips at this, but remained silent, "Are you currently taking any medications, including dietary supplements or anabolic steroids?"
"Nope."
"Do you regularly take hot baths or steam baths?"
What does this have to do with anything? "Yep. I like to take hot baths after a long day's work."
"Okay, one more. Have you conceived a child with any previous partners?"
"No." Well I answered that one quickly.
She took about two minutes to fill out the rest of the sheet on her clipboard then refocused her attention on us, "Okay, thank you both very much for taking the time to answer these questions, and I do apologize if they were too personal. Do you have any questions for me before we begin discussing the process?"
Natasha and I shook our heads, and Doctor Hu began to explain the process, "Before undergoing infertility testing, be aware that a certain amount of commitment is required. Either the clinic or I will need to determine what your sexual habits are and may make recommendations about how you may need to change those habits. The tests and periods of trial and error may extend over several months. Evaluation is expensive and in some cases involves uncomfortable procedures, and the expenses may not be reimbursed by many medical plans. I need to warn you that there's no guarantee — even after all the testing and counseling — that conception will occur, and in about one-third of infertile couples, no specific cause is found."
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A few months later, Natasha and I were called into the clinic to get our results. We were called into Doctor Hu's office and we sat down.
"Well, I have good news and bad news, but good news for the bad news."
"What's the good news?" I asked anxiously. I wanted to know if I was to blame for this.
"The good news, Mr. Romanoff, is that you're fertile."
Oh shit. No. That means…
"And Mrs. Romanoff, it seems that you are infertile." Natasha went pale, "Your hormone balance is unbalanced. It's the most common cause of anovulation. The process of ovulation depends upon a complex balance of hormones and their interactions to be successful, and any disruption in this process can hinder ovulation. There are three main sources causing this problem: failure to produce mature eggs, malfunction of the hypothalamus, and malfunction of the pituitary gland. In this case, your body can't produce mature eggs. In approximately fifty percent of the cases of anovulation, the ovaries do not produce normal follicles in which the eggs can mature. Ovulation is rare if the eggs are immature and the chance of fertilization becomes almost nonexistent."
How… Why? Why couldn't it have been me?