Entry for A New Chapter Contest
Title: Ten Year Plan
Characters: Eric, Sookie and Pam
Word count: 2538
Pen name: vikilover
Beta: beatlechicksteph
Status: New AH
Discalimer: I own none of the wonderful characters of SVM.
To see all the other entries please visit the C2: http:/ www(dot) fanfiction(dot) net/ community/ A_New_Chapter_Contest/84745/
As I sit here, in my first son's room, with my hand on my baby bump, waiting for the arrival of my second son, I can't help but think back to how all of this came about.
A few years earlier...
As long as I could remember I, Sookie Stackhouse, have always wanted to be a mommy. At the rate I was going though, that was not going to happen. I always put my career ahead of my happiness. I had to stick to my Ten Year Life Plan. Now here I sat twenty-seven years old, single and only my career as one of the top in my field as a relationship expert, with nothing else to show for it, except my awards and best selling books to keep me warm at night.
I guess dealing with everyone else's problems has somehow subconsciously, turned me off to dating. I have accomplished everything I set out to do, except get married and have children. I still have a year left to achieve my goal of motherhood, but I haven't dated since college. Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way a virgin, but like I said-career first.
Since I had no male in my life that I would consider as a viable candidate to father my child, I started doing research into sperm bank donors, thinking it would be less heartache and drama. Boy was I wrong in my thinking. However, I wouldn't change a thing, because I ended up with two babies from this.
I went online and read the steps of purchasing said donations. I had to be sure my OB/GYN was registered with the company Sperm Bank of California. Then I had to establish an account; choose a donor, purchase donor inventory, place an order a month out before the procedure and plan ahead to get my womb ready.
I read through the website once I found where I wanted to get the sperm from. After reading everything, I decided to only consider donors in the Identity Release Program, just to be on the safe side incase something health wise for the child should arise or if they wanted to know where they came from.
After reading through numerous donor profiles, I was drawn to donor #4320. He was a few years older than me, highly intelligent (over achiever), graduated top of his class both in high school and college. He was Swedish, blue eyes, blond hair, 6'4" 220 pounds of lean muscle, a runner's or swimmer type body according the observation of the interviewer records. Donor #4320 was new to the site, was in the Identity Release Program, and no other pregnancies so far. He was all around perfect for me and my needs.
I had started the necessary test and drug regime to make sure I could conceive when the time came three months later. I checked a month before the procedure to make sure donor #4320 had supply in stock and placed my order for ten .5cc washed vials (washed IUI ready) to have enough for three cycles of trying to be impregnated.
The first cycle of treatment was a no go for conception, but during the second cycle, I conceived my baby boy. I was so overjoyed I was going to be a mommy. My pregnancy progressed normally and my practice wasn't affected in the least, since I had the forethought to take on parterres, one Eric Northman and Pamela Ravenscroft, when I decided to have a baby.
I knew Pam from college and we have been friends for the last nine years. I had been planning on expanding my practice and had talked to Pam about said partnership. She knew of my Ten Year Plan and was not surprised in the least bit when I told her that I planned on starting my family about five months before I conceived my son. We worked out all the fine details of our arrangement and were happy as clams. She pointed out that since her field of expertise was in Child Psychology that we would need to take on another partner who was also considered top of his field. I trusted Pam's judgment, and I agreed to a meeting with our potential new partner. Even if he was the best at what he did, if we could not get along this would not work for any of us.
About a week later we met with Eric and we all seemed to mesh so well. I explained to him my reasoning for the expansion of my practice and that I was going to start my family in the unconventional way so he knew coming and that I would be out of the office for a while when the baby was born. He agreed to join us in the new practice. Eric said that he would need about two months to relocate, due to needing to pack up his office and home and moving his old case load to other doctors. Eric made the ideal partner for our practice since he covered the broad spectrum of our field.
By the time Eric joined us, I was already through the first month of pregnancy. Since he was new to the area, he started sitting in with me on my sessions and started taking over some of my caseload. We worked side-by-side everyday, him always greeting me with "How are mommy and the little one doing?"
The three of us became thick as thieves. We would go to each other's places for dinner or just hang out and watch movies. Eric and my relationship started to change from professional, to friendship, to romantic over the course of our first meeting. It was easy to make that transition once you got to know the man hidden behind the brains. He'd come with me to my appointments. Together we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time, and we found out that I was having a boy. We talked some about why I made the choice to use a sperm donor. It was simple, my life at the time was too busy with work that I never had the time to consider or think about dating. I was too focused trying to get my career were I was happy with it and I was running out of time to get my Ten Year Plan complete. The only thing that was lacking was a family and now was as good a time as any to start it. I confided in him that being a mommy was the one thing I wanted more than anything in the whole world, and if I had to do it, I was going to do it on my terms and not someone else's. I never told him where I got the sperm from and he never asked. He seemed very attached to the baby even in the womb and more so once he was born.
My due date was fast approaching and we were running out of time to get things ready for the baby. I did tell him that the donor was Swedish like himself and I wanted to somehow honor that part of our son's heritage with a Swedish name. Since our relationship was progressing towards marriage talks we both agreed for his last name to be Northman. It didn't matter that we were not a typical family, but a family none the less. A month before the baby was born, he moved in with us since he was already practically living there anyway and he could be there just in case I went into labor.
The last month was the hardest of all; I had just had my twenty-eighth birthday the month before. My belly was so big I couldn't see my feet or the ground or my knees when sitting down. You get the picture, plus any part that could swell was swollen. Eric always made me feel loved and beautiful even when I didn't feel the same. Don't get me wrong, I was happy and would do it all over again. The doctor had warned that because of the donor's size and height that he would be a big baby.
Two weeks later, just after midnight, I went into labor. Eric got us safely to the hospital. Twelve hours later, I gave birth to Kristopher Jakob Northman, all 10lbs 11oz. It was like giving birth to a Saab.
As Jakob got older he looked more and more like Eric. Pam had a running joke going in the office that Jakob was Eric's secret love child. Eric and Jakob were crazy about each straight from the womb. Nine months after having Jakob we got married. Who would have thought I would find the love of my life, a great daddy and partner in the office.
Everything was smooth sailing, until Jakob got sick, about six months after his first birthday. He was losing weight, having flu like symptoms and tiny red spots on his skin. His regular doctor wasn't sure what was going on and referred us to a specialist. After a series of tests it was discovered that Jakob had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. That was the worst day of both our lives. Before my panic set in, the doctor explained our course of action and treatment. Since it was caught early, his chances of recovery were very good. We just had to hold on to that hope. Thank goodness that we had the foresight to have saved all of the afterbirth. Some think of it as waste, but it was a lifesaver for Jakob. The next course of action was having as many people within the family and our friends tested to see if any were a possible bone marrow match. With stored afterbirth it may not be necessary, but it was a precaution that needed to be taken. Eric and I were tested the same day. Pam came in the next day to be tested. Eric called his parents to have them come in to be tested as well, since they could fly out the next day. Even they thought Eric and Jakob could pass for twins when you looked at their baby pictures.
During this time, I remembered about the Identity Release Program for the donor and thanked God that I had updated them on the birth like they encouraged birth parents to do. I contacted the donor bank, explained the situation and give them all the information needed for the donor to come and get tested. I was told that a month after I conceived, he had all his remaining samples destroyed and I was the only one to give birth from his donation. After the arrival and testing of Eric's parents, Jakob started on Chemo. We were sitting in Jakob's room at the hospital when Eric got a call and stepped out in the hallway. He came back a few minutes later and said that he needed to go to the lab for some more blood work. I never thought anymore about it until a week after all the samples had been collected.
We were all sitting in Jakob's room, Eric holding him after his latest round of chemo, when the doctor came in with the results. Saying we were completely shocked would be an understatement; it seemed nobody was close to being a match but Eric. Then the doctor asked Eric why he donated two samples, and every head in the room snapped in his direction.
Eric went on to explain that he donated sperm to The Sperm Bank of California, mostly for abet with Pam and never thought anyone would buy it before he had a chance to go back and have the samples destroyed. He was notified that the mother had conceived and that she had given birth, but he didn't know any other information on the child or the mother. He said it was in his profile that if the child wanted to know where he or she came from he would be more than happy to explain everything. He explained that he had received notice that the child was sick and needed for him to be tested to see if he was a potential match in case he was needed. He was never given the name of the mother or child or their location just he that needed to be tested.
It was as if a light bulb went off mid sentence and had it finally sunk in that he was actually holding the child that he helped father, in his arms.
My mouth was hanging open and tears were streaming down my cheeks and his blue eyes meet mine from across the room. I explained to everyone where I had gotten the sperm from and how I was drawn to that profile for some reason. The donor was the best fit for what I wanted my baby's father to be like. I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled. I wasn't mad or hurt that he could have another child out there somewhere, because I got Jakob out of the deal. More than likely if I hadn't went that route, I won't have Jakob, him or Pam in my life now.
Pam had a knowing look in her eyes, so I asked her if she knew this whole time that Eric was Jakob's daddy and her smile got bigger. I had showed her the donor profile after I found out I was pregnant. Her eyes got big, but she never said a word to me or Eric. She just kept calling Jakob Eric's secret love child. I asked if she was planning on telling us anytime soon and she said if we hadn't figured it out by Jakob's second birthday she would have left the donor's profile paper out where Eric could find it. At least that was some much needed happy news.
After three months of chemo with no improvement, we decided that the best course of action was a bone marrow transplant using the stored afterbirth. We barely slept at all trying to make sure Jakob was okay. I was bad, but Eric was worse. Anytime that he wasn't being poked and prodded Jakob was always in his daddy's arms, and after finding out he was his hardly anybody was able to hold him. During the time of his chemo treatment I found out I was 3 months pregnant. Our baby was slowly but surely on the mend. Jakob was able to come home three months later on his second birthday.
Present day
So here I sit two and a half months later ready to give birth to our second son, Erik Kristian Northman. I looked at his big brother sleeping peacefully and thanked anybody that was listening for the three men in my life and for seeing fit that my baby would beat this cancer. We know we still have a few more years to go before Jakob is fully out of the woods, but I wouldn't go and change anything that has happened. It has only brought Eric and I closer. Sometimes fate has a way of interfering with the plans you have for your life.