Saga Vasuki – Glad you liked it :)
CurlyAkemy – Hehe, this? .com/watch?v=eP79KOqBA2k I think possibly my favourite Cameron Diaz scene ever (And I'm a big fan lol) Hehe, I'm glad you could get a giggle from the 'Superhero Pose' – she has just the right amount of geeky charm to pull it off :p
fire'n'water – Ack, I know it was ridiculously long! [Thanks for reading though :)] And I'm glad that that basic premise is coming across for those I didn't subject my ramblings to :p I think getting sick on Halloween is something every kid needs to experience at some stage during their younger years. Glad you liked the chapter :)
Emerald Demona – Oh yea, corny overload. Serious corny overload. It's what I do best ;) Pregnant Willow is getting closer and closer! :)
ryanalone – Yep, there's gonna be a prequel! (Or at least I'm planning on it lol) Glad you liked hormonal-Tara, though luckily she's getting to the stage where it's almost Willow's turn to take over :p
Santander – Haha, deep breaths! :p I know, Wonder Woman was not where I expected to go, but I was in a situation where the majority of the chapter was written before the smut was added, so I had to have it fall in line with what had already happened (being in jammies with kids etc) so it had to be an impromptu 'dress up' as oppose to a planned one. Which kinda left me limited in the possibilities and for sure was on the funny as oppose to sexy side :p Vamp Willow is hot, nothing wrong with wanting that :p I'll keep it in mind for future fics (although I did do a chapter in Lessons In Love where Tara was a vamp and Willow a cowgirl I think, but again, that played more towards the humour than the sexy. I'd don't think I have the skills to pull off a 'sex slave' kinds fic :p)
Sky King Haruka Tenoh – Haha, glad you liked the chapter :) Wonder Woman seems to have caught everyone off-guard :P
Juggler – Haha, I know. I just...I get all blush-y as I'm writing and in RL I would make an awkward joke, so the sentiment clearly translates into my writing :P The idea wasn't directly influenced by the re-boot, although it's been in the media so much it's probably seeped into my subconscious. And yep, you picked up on the right references! Inner-geekdom FTW :D (Yea, I'm looking forward to sinking into pre-Hacker W/T...but there's a ways to go yet!)
"Willow, you're shaking."
Willow took the hand that had been holding Tara's and put them beneath her so she was sitting on them.
"Now, see?" she replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "No shake."
Tara pulled her wife's arm as best she could from her lying position on the examination table in Dr. Wells' office and retook her hand.
"I don't care whether you're shaking, I want to know why," she said before smiling softly, "I thought you'd be used to these appointments by now. I'm certainly used to acting like a personal blood bank and getting probed on an almost daily basis."
Willow's lips quirked into a smile at that, but she still looked worried.
"It's just...this is like the start of the real deal appointments, you know? I mean, Dr. Wells is gonna tell us if your eggs are ready. And if they are, then the next time we're in here, we're gonna be taking your eggs. And then the next time we're gonna be putting them in me. Trying to get me pregnant. With our baby. And if this appointment goes badly...then it means all the others could too...and..."
"And you're worrying about things that haven't and might not even happen," Tara gently soothed, "Let's just see how things go today, okay?"
Willow took a deep, calming breath.
"Okay. Okay. You're right."
Dr. Wells walked into the room at the moment, wheeling the ultrasound machine behind her like she had for every appointment the couple had attended thus far.
"Alright, Tara, you know the drill," Dr. Wells smiled as she took her seat between Tara's legs and pulled gloves on, "A little cold and you let me know if it becomes too uncomfortable."
Tara nodded, quite used to the procedure at that stage before turning back to Willow who was staring intently at the still-blank ultrasound screen. She squeezed the redhead's hand to get her attention.
"You'll get wrinkles if you keep worrying so much."
Willow forced herself to look away as the screen lit up with images of her wife's internal organs and smiled at the blonde.
"Will you still love me?"
"Of course," Tara replied lovingly and saw Willow start to look back towards the screen. Wanting to distract her until the doctor had her exam done; she dropped the redhead's hand and brought it up to her face, forcibly making her look her in the eye again, "So this is all a little uncomfortable. I could use a kiss to distract me."
Willow looked delighted to have some way to contribute, even something small, and dragged her seat forwards just slightly before leaning over the table to gently press her lips against Tara's. She had no intention of launching a full-scale PDA attack on her wife while in front of the doctor, but was very happy that Tara had asked for a kiss, realising as their lips moved against each other, that she was the one who really needed the distraction.
And she felt her love for her wife grow even more that she'd known that too.
"Okay, Tara, all done."
Willow's head shot towards the doctor, who continued speaking before the redhead even had a chance to ask her question.
"I count fifteen follicles," Dr. Wells smiled as she snapped off her gloves, "Which is well within average and a very good sign. As well as that, your hormone levels are exactly where I'd like to see them. I'm confident for us to schedule your egg retrieval for this Friday."
Willow looked completely shocked for a moment before squealing and dropping her head to Tara's stomach, pulling her t-shirt up just slightly and placing warm, excited kisses all over her skin there.
"I knew you could do it, little Tara-babies, I knew it."
Tara, rather than being embarrassed, just stroked her wife's hair, elated both by the news and Willow's delight.
"So, Friday?" she asked and Dr. Wells just nodded, also smiling at Willow's reaction.
"I'll schedule you in for a late-morning appointment, but you'll be given anaesthesia so you'll need to take the afternoon."
"Whole day," Willow's voice piped up as she placed a final kiss on her wife's stomach and pulled her t-shirt back down, before focusing on Tara, "We're taking the whole day off. And Monday too, for the embryo transfer. That's Monday, right? Three days later? We can tell Michelle and the guys that we both caught the flu or something and that's why we're not in work. And I'll take JJ to school and you can sleep in and relax and then I'll take care of you when the procedure's done, I'll bring you home and, and..."
"You'll take care of me," Tara finished with a smile, having removed her legs from the uncomfortable stirrups but still lying on the table, "I know."
Dr. Wells continued to smile at the interaction between the two and decided it was an appropriate time to give them a moment alone.
"Okay, I'm going to return the ultrasound," she said, standing up, "Then I just need to administer the HCG injection to trigger the release of your eggs."
Tara acknowledged the doctor's words but didn't take her attention away from her wife. Dr. Wells left the room and Tara quietly started getting dressed, her and Willow continuously smiling at each other until a loud banging made them both jump.
"Sorry," Dr. Wells said as she walked towards them again, a needle in one hand and vial in the other, "I shouldn't be kicking the doors closed. Tara, will you roll up your sleeve?"
Tara did as requested as Dr. Wells walked up to her and started rubbing her upper arm with an alcohol wipe.
"You'll be happy to know this is the last injection you'll need for a while," she said as she prepared the syringe of medication, "Now, the area around where I inject might be a little red and tender for the next few days. If there's any extreme pain or skin irritation, call me or go to the emergency room, but there really shouldn't be any problem. Are you ready?"
"Go ahead," Tara smiled.
She'd never had a fear of injections but the past little while made her barely notice as the needle pierced her skin, though she felt it when it dug into her muscle. Willow was still beaming from ear-to-ear anyway, so seeing that was distracting her from any pain.
"Okay, all done," Dr. Wells said as she wiped the area she'd injected a final time, then went about disposing of the used needle, "Tara, like I said, we'll be giving you anaesthesia on Friday, so don't eat from about midnight the night before. The whole procedure will really only takes a few minutes."
Willow smiled and squeezed her wife's hand.
"We'll need to monitor you for a few hours after the retrieval," Dr. Wells continued, "But then you should be fine to go home. I know I've gone thought the procedures a lot with you, but it's important you know exactly what's going on. Any questions?"
Willow looked to Tara who just shook her head softly.
"No questions. Now we just have to wait for Friday."
"JJ, honey, it's wakey time."
Willow softly stroked her son's hair as she lulled him from slumber, kneeling beside his bed. JJ's features creased for a moment before his eyes fluttered open. He brought his fists up to rub them before settling his gaze on his mother and smiling.
"Morning, Momma."
"Morning, little man," Willow replied, wrapping her arms around her boy as he sat up in bed, "Did you have a good sleep?"
JJ nodded as he rested his head against Willow's shoulder in the hug before pulling back with wide-eyed excitement.
"I dreamt about dinosaurs!"
Willow laughed.
"I hope they weren't chasing you."
"Uh uh," JJ shook his head with giddy excitement, "I was riding them!"
Willow laughed again before ruffling her son's hair.
"Well that sounds fun. Listen, buddy, today's a bit of a special day, okay? Mommy needs some more sleep this morning so we need to be very, very quiet. Can you do that?"
JJ nodded quietly before frowning.
"Is Mommy okay?"
"She's just fine," Willow reassured with a smile, "She just needs some extra naps today. Will you get dressed and brush your teeth and I'll go get you some breakfast?"
"Okay," JJ agreed and started to pull the covers back, "Can I have oatmeal? With raisins?"
"You bet," Willow replied, dropping a kiss on top of her son's head before standing, "Remember though, quiet as a mouse."
JJ dutifully put his finger against his lips and nodded seriously. Willow smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up sign before leaving JJ's room and walking down the hallway. She looked in at Tara and smiled again when she saw her wife was still peacefully sleeping, before carefully shutting the door and making her way downstairs to the kitchen, where she went about making JJ's oatmeal.
She was just mixing in the raisins when JJ appeared through the doorway, holding his shoes in his hand.
"I didn't want to put them on in case they made noise."
"That was very smart. You can put them on now though, Mommy won't hear them from down here," Willow said as she poured the oatmeal into a bowl, "Would you like some cinnamon on top?"
JJ didn't respond for a moment as he went about tying the laces on his shoes but then nodded as he climbed onto a stool by the island.
"Thank you," he said as his oatmeal was placed in front of him and eagerly began to dig in.
Willow made herself a cup of the caffeine-free herbal tea that she and Tara had switched to since they'd begun the IVF process to minimise their caffeine intake, like the doctor had suggested. It had taken a few cups before Willow had found a liking for it, but now she quite enjoyed the beverage, finding it almost had a natural calming effect on her.
She made her own bowl of oatmeal and let herself enjoy that along with the sweet, hot liquid as it warmed her body until she drained the last of her cup and started to make JJ's lunch. She packed a turkey sandwich, baby carrots and a juice box into her son's shiny red lunchbox just as JJ stood down off the stool and walked around to put his bowl in the sink.
"Are you ready for school?" Willow asked as she glanced down at her watch.
"Uh huh," JJ nodded, taking his lunchbox from his mother's hands, "We get to use chalk on the playground today!"
Willow smiled.
"That should be fun."
JJ smiled back and nodded excitedly as they walked into the foyer. He packed his lunchbox away in his backpack before they made their way to the car and started the short journey to the school. Willow hugged her son goodbye and watched him enter the redbrick building safely before driving back to house, going straight upstairs to their bedroom.
She knelt beside the bed and took a moment to just watch her peacefully sleeping wife before she reached a hand out to cup Tara's cheek, stroking the porcelain skin beneath her thumb with the utmost tenderness.
She continued the soft motion, wanting to rouse her wife from her slumber as gently as possible, until she saw Tara's eyelids begin to twitch and then retract fully; shimmering blue eyes hazy for a moment as they focused.
"You let me sleep in," Tara said softly as she registered the fully-clothed attire of her wife, "I told you, you didn't have to."
"And I told you you're getting as much rest as possible and taking it easy today," Willow answered with a smile, "Enjoy it, our roles are gonna be switched for 9 months soon."
Tara smiled softly and closed her eyes as the last vestiges of her sleep left her.
"Can't wait. Your every wish will be my command."
Willow laughed.
"You're gonna regret saying that."
"No way," Tara replied, opening her eyes again and shaking her head into the pillow, "I'll make you pickle and mustard sandwiches and go out for ice-cream at 2am and be your own, personal massage therapist."
Willow dropped her head shyly for a moment before moving forwards and placing a lingering kiss against her wife's temple, then pulled back.
"We need to get me pregnant first. We're due at the clinic in about an hour."
"Okay," Tara replied, stretching beneath the covers, "I'll go have a shower."
"I'll make sure we have everything ready," Willow responded with a nod of her head, "I'd make you some tea and breakfast, but you're not allowed eat. I'm making whatever you want for dinner though. And lots of it."
An easy smile graced Tara's face.
"Sounds great."
"Excellent," Willow smiled as she stood up, "I'm bringing comfy clothes for you to change in after the procedure, so do you want a loose skirt or some sweatpants?"
"What I want," Tara responded with a wry grin, "Is a good morning kiss."
Willow hunched back down and hovered over her wife.
"That I can help with."
She brought their lips together, slowly and lovingly for several long moments before pulling away.
"I'd, ah, jump in there beside you and show you just how good a morning it is," she said with a grin, "But I don't want to disturb, you know...the area."
She motioned over the blonde's center over the blanket in indication and Tara laughed.
"Okay. I guess that's my cue to go shower."
"I'll pack," Willow repeated with a smile, "Skirt or sweats?"
"Sweats," Tara replied after thinking for a moment.
Willow nodded and Tara finally threw the covers from her body and climbed out of the bed, placing a quick kiss on her wife's lips, then leaving for the bathroom.
Willow straightened up and went over to the closet, taking a backpack from inside before going over to the dresser and taking out a pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt of Tara's. She then followed her wife into the bathroom and knelt down to open the doors of the cabinet beneath the sink, rooting around.
"Willow?" Tara's voice was heard a second later, "Is there any conditioner out there? The bottle in here is empty."
"Oh crap, yea, sorry," Willow replied, reaching for a new bottle of conditioner, "I used it up this morning and forget to replace it."
She stood and went over to the shower, pulling back the curtain a little and popping her head inside as she handed over the conditioner.
"Thank you," Tara said with a smile as she took the bottle and turned back under the spray of water.
Willow made no effort to move however, transfixed as she watched the tiny droplets of water fall down her wife's back and over the curve of her buttocks before dropping off of her body.
Tara felt eyes burning on her as she ran the conditioner through her locks and looked over her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Hmm?" Willow asked, her eyes focused on one particular bead of water that was just about to fall into the crevice between the blonde's cheeks. Her head snapped up after a moment though and she blushed at the amused smile on her wife's face, "Um...pads. I can't find pads. Did you move them?"
"Why do you need pads?" Tara questioned as she squirted some shower gel into her hands and ran it along her body, before looking back at the redhead, alarmed, "You don't have your period, do you? If your cycle's changed we can't–"
"No, no" Willow reassured quickly, "The doctor just said to expect some spotting after the procedure, remember? I'm just gonna pack some for you to wear home."
Tara visibly exhaled a relieved sigh.
"Cabinet above the sink. JJ found them and thought it would be funny to stick them all over the mirror so I had to move them higher."
Willow gave an internal giggle; the childish part of her thought sticking pads all over the mirror was kind of funny too, not that she'd ever admit it.
"Okay. Thanks."
She reluctantly pulled her gaze away from Tara's wet and naked form and retrieved a pack of pads from the cabinet above the sink, taking one of the heating pads they had in there to help with cramps as well; Willow having remembered reading that they could help with the initial post-op pain until she could get Tara home and get her a hot water bottle.
She brought the items back into their bedroom and packed them in the bag, zipping it up before grabbing a pillow from the bed and tucking it under her arm. She knew Tara would have to lie around for a couple of hours after the procedure and wanted her to be comfortable.
She brought everything downstairs and placed them by the door before going into the kitchen to make herself another cup of tea, needing the calming sensation it provided and trying not to think about the magnitude of what was happening that day.
They were taking Tara's eggs. And they were going to fertilize them. So that they could go inside her. And they'd know the next morning, they'd get a phone call to say if the fertilization had been a success and if they could go ahead with the embryo transfer.
Monday. If everything works today...I could have her baby inside me on Monday...
Willow quickly shook off the thought. She knew that hope was a good thing, but she knew she couldn't bear the heartbreak if she laid all of her hope out and things didn't work out this time. And she knew they'd be very, very lucky if things worked the first time around anyway.
So she opted to take Tara's advice and not worry about things that hadn't happened yet. They'd go to the egg retrieval today, and then if the phone call tomorrow said they could continue with the transfer, then they would do that. And then they'd just wait.
Two weeks, that's all they would have to wait to find out if it was a success.
Two weeks where they'd try to carry on with their lives as normal as possible, and when the phone call came from the doctor to tell them the outcome, then they would deal with it. One way or the other, rejoice or go about starting the process again, they would deal with it.
"Were you going to make tea or just stare at the teabag?"
Willow was pulled from her thoughts as she heard her wife's voice ring throughout the room and looked up with a smile to see her walking, dressed and ready, into the kitchen.
"Um, no, I was gonna make a cup," she said, realising the kettle had boiled quite a while ago and she'd just been looking down into her empty mug in thought, "But, um, it's probably about time we left. Don't wanna be late."
Tara walked further into the kitchen and took a travel mug down from one of the cupboards, setting it in front of the redhead before bringing her hands up and giving both of Willow's shoulders a small squeeze.
"Make it in that. Everything's going to be okay, you know. No matter what."
Willow dropped her head slightly and let the soft comfort of the massaging motion relax her.
"Promise?" she asked in a small voice.
Tara dropped her lips against the back of her wife's hair and placed a long, lingering kiss there.
"Promise."
Willow exhaled slowly before giving a definitive nod, then went about making her tea in the travel mug.
"Okay, well then, let's go get my little Tara-baby outta you."
Tara dropped her chin onto her wife's shoulder and moved her arms so that they wrapped around the redhead's waist.
"No matter what stage of...development we're at, it is always ourbaby."
Willow smiled as she fastened the lid on her tea.
"Yea. I know. I just can't wait until him or her is growing inside me."
"Well let's go get started then," Tara replied, slipping her hand into the redhead's and pulling her towards the door, "Why do we need a pillow?"
"So you're comfy afterwards," Willow explained as she slung the backpack over her shoulder and tucked the pillow under her arm, "Will you grab my keys?"
Tara took the keys to the Mercedes from the hook and both women walked out to the car, throwing everything into the backseat and fastening themselves into the front before Willow began driving as they made their way to the clinic.
They parked outside the building when they arrived and Willow took the backpack and pillow in her hands before they started towards the clinic.
"Willow, Tara!"
The couple were greeted the moment they stepped through the glass doors of the clinic by the nurse, Maya.
"Hi," Willow responded, "We're here–"
"The egg retrieval, I know," Maya smiled, "I can bring you upstairs."
"Um, okay," Willow replied before frowning in confusion, "Upstairs?"
Maya just gestured with her hand and led them down a hallway and up a staircase that neither woman had been up before, not even knowing the clinic had a second floor, the bottom floor covering quite a large area with multiple rooms as it was.
"Our fertility clinic operates chiefly from our second floor," Maya explained, "Since you two were regular patients of Dr. Wells and attending her not just as part of the fertility clinic, she preformed all the examinations in her own room, but any surgical procedures need to be done up here in our theatre rooms."
Maya pushed a door open and revealed a large waiting area with four other couples all sitting, reading magazines or just generally looking anxious. There was a reception desk off to the side, with two receptionists sitting behind it, a young looking man with a nametag that said 'John' and a kind looking older woman with a tag that said 'Mary', who looked up with a smile when she heard the door being opened. Maya led the couple over.
"This is Willow and Tara," she said quietly, "They're here for an egg retrieval."
"Oh, hello," the female receptionist greeted as she discreetly started typing on her computer, "Dr. Wells, eleven o' clock, right? If you just take a seat–"
"Oh, Mary, I'm their nurse today," Maya cut the woman off with a smile, "I can take them straight through to the surgical waiting room, is that okay?"
Mary nodded pleasantly and Maya brought Willow and Tara through another door, with a plaque that said 'Surgery' on it, off to the side. Through that door, was a smaller waiting room, this one empty, with another desk that said 'Nurses' Station' above it.
"You're our only surgical patients this morning," Maya explained as she walked over to a large cabinet within the nurses' station and opened the door, pulling out some items of clothing, then handing them to Tara, "You can change into these in those dressing rooms over there and put your own clothes into a locker. I'll just get you a key..."
"Oh, it's okay," Willow replied quickly, "I'll take care of her stuff."
Maya smiled and nodded, before going retrieving something from a box that was set on top of the nurses' station desk marked 'incoming'.
"Just a hospital bracelet," she said as she secured it around Tara's wrist, "Not that we're going to get confused with only you here, but its procedure. Okay, if you go get changed and I'll let Dr. Wells and the anaesthesiologist know you're here."
Maya sat behind the nurses' station and picked up the phone while Tara looked over to where they were four small rooms, each shielded off by a curtain.
"I'll just go get into these," she said, holding up the bundle Maya had given her in indication.
"Okay," Willow nodded, handing the blonde the backpack, "You can put your clothes in here and I'll keep them safe."
"From the throng of people here who could take them?" Tara asked, smirking.
Willow blushed but looked defiant.
"Well maybe this place has evil little monsters who take your clothes when you're not looking. Like the laundry monster."
"Oh, okay," Tara agreed in mock-seriousness, "I'll be right back."
Willow nodded again and watched Tara disappear behind one of the curtains, then walked over to one of chairs in the room, settling the pillow on her lap, unintentionally bringing her fingers up to her mouth and biting the skin around her nails.
"Don't be nervous," Maya's voice piped up from her seat, "We do this every day. She'll really only be in the theatre room for 20 minutes or so."
Willow smiled a weak smile across the room.
"How long will she be out for?"
"An hour or two," Maya answered, "People react differently to the anaesthesia. But once she's brought into the recovery room, you can be in there with her."
"Really?" Willow asked, her face lighting up, "So I can hold her hand? And be there when she wake up?"
Maya smiled and nodded.
"Not a problem."
"Okay," Willow breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay. That's good."
Tara appeared from the dressing room then, clad in pale blue, thin-material, disposable, drawstring pyjama bottoms and a similar-in-material gown that reached to just above her knees and was tied in the back.
"The anaesthesiologist will be here shortly," Maya told Tara as she sat down beside Willow, "We share him with a few other clinics and a hospital, so he's still on his way here, but it won't be long."
"Okay," Tara nodded with a smile, "Thanks."
She settled into her seat and turned to Willow, taking one of her hands.
"Stop worrying."
"I'm not," Willow replied unconvincingly.
Tara raised an eyebrow.
"You think I don't know your worry face?"
Willow gave a small smile at that.
"You're about to have surgery, I don't care how minor it is, it's perfectly normal for a spouse to be worried."
"Okay," Tara agreed, seeing and understanding that Willow was going to worry no matter what she said, so opted to change the subject, "Beef stew."
Willow's brow crinkled in confusion.
"What?"
"That's what I want for dinner," Tara replied with a smile, "You said you'd make whatever I wanted."
"You got it," Willow nodded enthusiastically, "And I'll get the crusty bread you really like so you can scoop it all up."
Maya discreetly watched the couple and smiled at the loving interaction between the two. She'd specialised in fertility nursing because she wanted to help create families and it always warmed her heart when she could help a particularly loving couple bring a child into the world.
She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a door close off to the side and saw the familiar face of Dr. Mathus walk into the nurses' station, briefcase in hand.
"You weren't kidding when you said it was quiet this morning," the sandy-haired doctor commented as he put his briefcase down.
"It's new patient morning, everyone else is just here for initial consults," Maya replied in explanation, "We normally don't have surgical patients at all on the first Friday of the month, but you know how this goes, we have to work around women's cycles."
Dr. Mathus nodded in understanding and turned one of the chairs near Maya around so he could sit.
"Right. Sorry, I forget between all the clinics, who does what on which days. I'm presuming that's our couple over there?"
"Yes," Maya replied, dragging a file across the desk and holding it out to the doctor, "Willow and Tara Rosenberg-Maclay. No fertility issues known in either woman. Tara's been going under standard hormone treatment for the past three weeks. Egg retrieval today, with a follicle count of fifteen. Eggs to be harvested and implanted in Willow's uterus on Monday given fertilization occurs."
Dr. Mathus nodded along as the nurse spoke, and read through the file, taking the information he needed before closing the file.
"Okay, I'll go get everything ready. Is Julia en route?"
"She's just finishing a consult downstairs," Maya responded, referring to Dr. Wells, "She should be up any minute."
"Alright," Dr. Mathus replied, standing up, "Thanks, Maya."
The doctor disappeared into one of the theatre rooms, the door of that room closing almost simultaneously as another opened and Dr. Wells appeared around the nurses' station as well.
"Morning Maya," she greeted with a smile, "How's everything going up here?"
"Dr. Mathus is preparing anaesthesia in Theatre 3, Tara's ready to go."
Dr. Wells nodded and looked around.
"It's eerie how quiet it is. We haven't had a first-Friday-of-the-month patient in a while," she remarked before snapping her fingers as she thought of something, "I'll need you in theatre today to assist...John should be able to handle the clinic reception for half an hour, can you call Mary in to keep things in order here?"
There was normally a lot more patients waiting in the room, and in turn, quite a few nurses as well to keep an eye on the waiting room, but since the other nurses that worked at the clinic were involved with their own patients, there would be none around when Maya went into theatre, leaving Willow alone in the room.
At the very least, that was an insurance liability and Dr. Wells was all too aware of how Willow could freak out given too much silence or time to think.
"Sure," Maya replied, picking up the phone to call the receptionist in, "No problem."
Dr. Wells smiled and nodded before walking over to the couple.
"Good morning," she greeted warmly, "How are you both feeling this morning?"
"We're good," Tara replied, giving the hand in hers a squeeze.
Dr. Wells noticed Willow was tapping her foot.
"It's normal to be nervous, you know."
"Told you," Willow muttered.
Tara turned her head and kissed her wife's cheek before turning back to Dr. Wells.
"Are we...?"
"Yes," Dr. Wells smiled, understanding what Tara meant, "I just need to go scrub in, but Maya will bring you into the theatre as soon as we're all ready. I'll see you both on the other side, okay?"
Willow and Tara nodded and the doctor walked across the empty room, her footsteps loudly echoing around the walls until she too disappeared behind the same door Dr. Mathus had, while Mary appeared in the waiting room and walked over to the nurses' station, sitting beside Maya.
"You're not allowed pace while I'm in there," Tara said softly to her wife.
Willow looked at the blonde sceptically.
"That's asking a lot."
Tara smiled and shook her head slightly.
"I've very glad we're getting you pregnant and not me. I don't think I could've coped with you in a state of permanent panic for nine months."
Willow managed a smile at that but was stopped from responding as a shrill ringing from the nurses' station made her jump in her seat slightly. She saw Maya answer the phone and speak into it for a moment, before hanging up, saying something to Mary and standing up.
She walked over to the couple and smiled at Tara.
"Are you ready?"
Tara nodded at the nurse before turning to Willow, taking the pillow from her lap and putting it on the floor, then wrapping her arms around her wife in a hug.
"You better be holding my hand when I wake up," she whispered in her ear.
"Promise," Willow whispered back, closing the embrace and squeezing the blonde tightly, "And I won't pace."
Tara pulled back and placed a light kiss on her wife's lips.
"That's my girl."
Tara squeezed the redhead's hand again before standing up and following Maya into the theatre room. It was a plain white room with nothing but sterilised medical equipment and a large, metal bed on wheels in the middle; a white pillow and blanket on it, with suspended stirrups hanging over the end of it.
Dr. Wells wasn't in the room, presumably still preparing in an adjacent room, but Dr. Mathus was at the top of the room, preparing something in a hanging bag.
"You can just slip off those pyjama bottoms and lie down on the bed, Tara," Maya said as she guided Tara over to the bed, "I'm Dr. Mathus, by the way, your anaesthesiologist."
Tara slipped the disposable pyjama bottoms down her legs, which Maya took and threw into the large waste bin in the room, then climbed onto the bed, settling her head comfortably on the pillow while Maya made sure the blanket covered her. The nurse then brought a portable machine over to the bed; placing a cuff around her upper arm and a clip-on attachment to her finger that would monitor her vital signs.
"Okay, Tara, I'll just get you to slip your feet into these stirrups," Maya continued, helping Tara do just that, "I know it's not very comfortable, but you won't be conscious long."
"Just another minute or so," Dr. Mathus spoke up as he wheeled the bag of medication over to the bed and picked up Tara's hand, "I'm just going to start an IV here. You might feel a pinch."
He slipped the needle into Tara's skin and Maya secured it with a piece of tape while the doctor held the suspended, clear bag, making sure everything was being administered properly. He then walked over to the corner of the room and retrieved a machine, wheeling it over to Tara.
"I'm going to place this mask on you, is that okay?" he asked and got an answering nod, "You can count backwards from 10 in your head."
Tara felt the plastic covering her mouth her nose and started to follow the doctor's instructions to count backwards from 10.
By 6, her whole world was black.
