Heather and Naya pull into the parking lot which doesn't appear to be overly crowded which their both relived for. Crowded waiting rooms are the absolute worst. Heather puts the car in park, turning off the ignition before quickly shutting her door and walking around the back of the Mercedes, and opening the passenger door to help her wife out. Once she hears the sound of the doors locking behind them, they continue their way inside the building. Heather holds open the door for Naya and tells her to take a seat while she checks them in. Naya sends her a grateful smile and makes her way over to a corner seat.
"All checked in!" Heather states excitedly while taking a seat next to Naya and patting her thigh.
"I'm so excited, but Heather, I'm also insanely nervous right now. I just can't get over how big of a deal this is." Naya says while focusing on her hands in her lap.
"I know your nervous baby but there's absolutely no reason to be. We're going to try it ok. Everything up until now has been great, we have no reason to believe this will be any different. If it is different, we'll deal with it but try to allow yourself to be excited." Heather replies reassuringly with her signature sweet smile.
"You always know just what to say to get me thinking straight." Naya says while laying her head on Heather's shoulder and allowing herself to relax a bit.
"Rivera- Morris" the nurse calls out from the doorway.
"Hi ladies how are you doing today?" Anne says while shooting them a friendly smile. Anne has been their nurse during this process for the past few months.
"Hi, Anne! Nice to see you again! We're doing okay. Ask us again in 5 minutes and we will probably be a bundle of nerves. At this moment we're doing alright." Heather responds while giggling and running a hand through her hair nervously.
"I completely understand. This is quite the emotional roller coaster both physically and emotionally. I have to say though, that both of you have handled it admirably. Truly. Hopefully, we can make this happen for you." Anne says with a genuine smile.
"God I hope so." Naya sighs starting to feel the significance of the moment taking its toll.
"Let's have you lay back on the table. We will do a quick ultrasound just to have one final look at the uterus to make sure everything's looking as it should be, and once that's checked off we will go ahead and move forward with the insemination." Anne states while setting up the machine.
Heather distracts Naya while Anne finishes setting up by bringing their faces close together and placing the most delicate but loving kiss on the tip of her nose and the center of her forehead. "I love you so much. I've got you. Just lean on me, alright baby?" Heather assures.
All Naya can do is nod her head slightly while taking a deep breath. Heather responds by placing a hand on Naya's upper back and gently guiding her to a lying down position on the table while never letting go of her hand in the process.
"Alright Naya, let's take a peek and make sure everything looks good before we get started." Anne says while gently lifting Naya's shirt to expose the tanned skin of her abdomen and squirting gel onto the skin. Naya twitched slightly at the coolness of the gel. Heather kept her right hand securely in Naya's left while her left hand was playing and gently massaging her head. Heather knew this always comforts her wife.
Anne is completely focused on the screen off to the side while running the transducer slowly around her abdomen. "Alright you two, everything looks good and ready for implementation." Anne proclaims while turning to look at the two girls who look both surprised and nervous at the same time.
"Oh man, so this is it?" Naya fidgets but also can't help the smile that appears on her face.
"It sure is. I will grab Dr. Laine and we will get started." Anne states while turning off the machine and handing Naya a couple of tissues to wipe the gel off her belly. Anne grabs her clipboard and pats Heather on the shoulder sending her a smile before making her way out of the room.
"Oh my god! This is happening! Is it okay to freak out yet?" Naya says while taking the hand that's not holding Heather's and draping it over her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"You'll be perfect, beautiful. I'm so incredibly proud of you. You've been a pillar of strength during this entire process. I knew you would be, but actually watching the love of my life go through this is probably the most inspiring thing I've ever witnessed in my life. You have no idea the depths of my love for you my sweet Naya." Heather confesses while kissing away the tears that are falling freely from her wife's eyes.
"I love you so damn much. Thank you for loving me the way you do. It's more than I deserve." Naya responds while wiping the tears that are still trickling down her cheeks.
"You deserve the world. I will make sure of it, love." Heather simply says while running her fingers through Naya's hair soothingly."
About 2 minutes later the ladies hear a soft knock on the door followed by Dr. Laine and Anne who is following her with a rolling metal tray. The girls can only assume the tray contains the very thing that could change their lives.
"Good afternoon ladies! How are the two of you?" Dr. Laine greets while reviewing the chart and notes Anne had previously taken.
"Nervous but excited." Naya responds with a shaky smile.
"You'll do just fine. The anticipation for it is so much worse than the actual insemination. It's actually quite easy compared to the long and emotional process of preparation. The actual insemination will take about 30 seconds. It's very quick. You might feel a little pressure but it's painless. Once we deposit the contents in the precise location I'll have you hang back in the room and we will prop your lower half up and just have you relax for about 30 minutes." Dr. Laine says while rolling her chair from the desk over to the foot of the exam table.
"Did either of you have any questions before I begin?" Dr. Laine reiterates.
"My mind is pretty foggy now so I can't think of anything. Let's do this." Naya says shakily while tugging Heather's arm so she's half sitting on the bed with her. Heather uses one hand to massage her head while the other is cupping her cheek. She tenderly turns Naya's head so she's focused on her instead of the white ceiling.
"I've got you, my love. I'm right here. Just focus on me." Heather sweetly says while caressing Naya's face and looking deep into the brown eyes she loves more than anything.
"Okay, we will get started. Naya just take a couple of deep breaths for me. Once I've reached the correct location I'll need you to remain as still as possible so I can ensure we deposit the contents precisely." Dr. Laine informs while slipping on her gloves and lifting up the syringe.
Naya continues to stare deeply into her wife's eyes while she feels a slight wave of pressure. Heather continues to stroke her hair tenderly while whispering sweet nothings in Naya's ear until the doctor sits straight up and announces she's finished.
"Wow, that's it?" Naya breaths in relief while the other women in the room giggle.
"I told you the anticipation and mental preparation is the hard part. The actual implantation is extremely quick and relatively painless." Anne says while jotting a few remaining notes on their chart.
"We will allow the two of you to relax here for about 30 minutes. Leave these pillows propped under your hips and I'll go ahead and set the timer for 30 minutes. Once that's done, Naya can go ahead and change and the two of you can meet me in my office next door and we will go over everything to expect for the next couple of weeks." Dr. Laine confirms with a friendly smile while following Anne out of the room and closing the door behind her.
"We really just did this. After all the months of waiting, we just did that! I think I'm feeling every emotion you could possibly feel right now." Naya says as a single tear runs down the right side of her cheek. Heather gently wipes it away with her thumb and takes the other hand to cup her cheek and place the sweetest of kisses on her lips.
"Do you have any idea how much I love you? You are the best thing that's ever happened to me Naya. I love you so much." Heather says while never breaking eye contact with her wife.
The girls have just arrived home and are planning on a relaxing night cuddled on their couch. Heather goes to the counter and sets the small paper bag with her wife's prenatal vitamins on the marble surface. Dr. Laine informed the girls regardless of whether this attempt takes or not, she wants Naya to start taking them every morning. The girls knew they had a long two weeks ahead while they wait to take a test.
Naya settles into the couch with her phone looking at a few texts from her friends. Three of them are from Lea informing them that their Saturday plans are confirmed with the rest of the cast.
Incoming Lea: "you and your lovely blonde are expected to arrive on Saturday no later than 6 pm as my vegan appetizers will be ready by 6:15."
Naya rolls her eyes and giggles to herself opening her next unread text from Amber.
Incoming Amber: "Hey girl. I'm bringing real food, don't worry." (Eye roll emoji)
Naya laughs and sets her phone on the coffee table in front of her as Heather comes back with two cups of tea handing one of them to Naya.
"Here you go beautiful. Careful it's hot." Heather says while gently handing her wife the steaming cup.
"Thank you, baby. Here look at these." Naya responds while grabbing her phone and showing Heather the texts from their friends.
"God I love them. Lea is insane. She and Rachel are way too much alike. I'll make up a couple of dips and bring some chips too. I think Lea's the only one who is vegan so we will need more edible food." Heather assures with a smile.
"She's crazy and I refuse to feed our baby anything with tofu." Naya states without thinking twice causing Heather to snap her head to the side and look at her wife lovingly.
"What?" Naya questions both amused at the surprised by the look she's receiving from her wife.
"You just said our baby." Heather replies simply with a beaming smile.
"Oh. I didn't even think. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just hoping." Naya shrugs with a bashful smile looking down at her hands which are fiddling in her lap.
"Hey, sweetheart." Heather says while stilling her wife's hands and setting her mug down on the table motioning for Naya to do the same. Once she does Heather moves over to the corner of the couch grabbing a blanket that was tossed over the back and tells Naya to stand. Naya gets up and looks at Heather questioningly while she places a couple of large pillows behind her and settles.
Heather motions for Naya to sit between her legs. Naya beams back showcasing one of Heather's favorite smiles, the one where you can see both her dimples and her face scrunches up in a way that sends a burst of pure love through Heather's body.
"Lay down my love." Heather helps Naya get comfortable and covers her with the blanket. Naya rests her head between the back of the couch and Heather's shoulder. Heather's arms wrap around Naya and rest on her flat belly. Naya smiles as Heather gently and tentatively lifts the hem of her shirt and placed both of her palms flat covering Naya's entire stomach.
"Hi, my little love. I know you're in there. Call it momma intuition, but I just know it. You're there and safe inside your mami. I know you are really tiny and probably can't hear me, but I just want you to know that I'm holding my entire world in my arms right now. You and mami are my everything. I promise to always protect you and keep you safe. My job is to protect you both. I love you and mami more than anything." Heather finishes while moving both thumbs back and forth on her wife's flat stomach.
Naya looks up at Heather and chokes out a sob clearly not expecting such a sweet speech from Heather. She thought she was crazy for thinking the baby was real. She was relieved that Heather was feeling the same way as her.
"Oh, honey. Are you okay?" Heather asks with genuine concern while wiping away Naya's tears with the pads of her thumbs.
"I just..why are you so perfect to me? I thought I was crazy for thinking anything was real." Naya responds trying to catch her breath but it remains unsteady.
"I'm just me Naya. I'll try to be as close to perfect as I can get because that's what you deserve. That's what our little love deserves." Heather smiles back tucking a strand of hair behind Naya's ear. Naya responds by cuddling closer to Heather and wrapping her arm around her waist. Heather continues to keep a steady hand on Naya's flat stomach while holding combing her fingers through her wife's black hair.
"The three of us. I can feel it." Heather finishes and places a kiss on Naya's temple.
It was Saturday evening. It had been 9 days since the insemination and the girls were getting ready to go over to Lea's for their friends' night. Naya had been doing great so far except feeling a little uneasiness in her stomach at the smell of certain foods as well as generally feeling overly tired.
Heather had just finished getting ready and was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes while she waited for her wife. Heather opted for a simple pair of dark wash jeans and a white v- neck shirt. Their hangouts were always super laidback so there was no need to dress up. As Heather was drying the last plate she could hear the sound of footsteps coming closer and turned to see Naya entering the kitchen.
"Hi, beautiful! Look at you. Your absolutely gorgeous." Heather gasps out with her mouth slightly agape.
"Baby, I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt.." Naya says while looking down at her overly casual outfit in confusion.
"And you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Seriously Naya, you could wear a garbage bag and make it look like perfection." Heather responds trying to peel her leering gaze from her wife.
"Your ridiculous, but I love you much." Naya giggles while pushing up on her toes to place a kiss on Heather's lips.
"Ridiculously in love." Heather fires back with a wink. "Are we ready to head out?" Looking at Naya waiting for the go-ahead. Once she sees Naya give a subtle nod she double checks her bag to assure she has everything she might need and zips it back up while grabbing the keys to their black Mercedes and putting on her shoes.
Heather opens the front door for Naya and waits until she's standing behind her before locking the door and activating the alarm system. They make their way towards the vehicle and Heather opens the passenger door for Naya getting a sweet smile in return. Once Naya has settled Heather closes the door and runs over to the driver's side and buckles her seatbelt while turning up the heat slightly knowing anytime they drive at night Naya is automatically chilly. Naya smiles at her wife's ability to read her mind and offers her hand over the center console. Their friends' nights were always entertaining and they were sure this one would be no exception.
After knocking on the door and hearing a faint "it's open guys!" They smile at each other and Heather places a hand on the small of Naya's back gesturing for her to go ahead.
"Hey losers!" Naya spats while taking off her jacket and shoes.
"First of all why are you wearing a jacket and a sweatshirt? It's like 70 outside?" Mark asks while raising an eyebrow at the shorter brunette.
"It's cold! I don't know why! Get off my back." Naya groans before heading into the kitchen to join the girls who all seemed to have congregated around the island.
"It's someone's time of the month." Chris laughs while grabbing a chip from the large bowl on the coffee table."
"You guys are asking to be hit upside the head aren't you? She's cold. So what? Leave her alone." Heather responds nonchalantly. Heather knew Naya was always cold which is a side effect of all the hormones she'd been taking in preparation for the insemination. Anne had told them it would be common for Naya to experience hot and cold flashes but Naya never got hot. She was always freezing.
"Whipped." Mark stage whispers causing all the guys to snicker in return and make whipping motions.
"I hate you all." Heather grumbles while ditching the guys and making her way over to the island where her wife is standing along with Jenna, Amber, Lea, Diana, and Vanessa.
"Hey ladies. Sorry I had to ditch the guys. They were driving me insane already." Heather replies while rolling her eyes causing the girls to giggle knowingly.
Heather walks around the island where Naya was and stands behind her wrapping her arms around Naya's waist placing a gentle kiss on her temple. All the girls look at them and start cooing which makes Naya blush and turn in Heather's arms burying her face in the crook of her wife's neck savoring the sweet vanilla scent she craved.
"I swear you two are so adorable it's actually sickening.." Jenna says with a smile while grabbing a piece of fruit from the tray.
"It's true. I've been on several dates the past month and I'm still waiting for one of these lame guys to treat me half as good as Heather treats Naya." Diana replies.
It was a running joke between all of the girls that they'll never find a guy who compares to how well Heather treats Naya. Of course, Naya was amazing with Heather, but the way Heather cared and loved Naya was something everyone was envious of.
"I'm just me Diana. Loving her is the easiest thing I've ever done. It's not like I have to try to do anything, it just is..like breathing. It just happens." Heather responds while one hand is cradling the side of Naya's head as it lays against her chest while the other is rubbing up and down her back comfortingly.
"I'm obsessed with you two. You're my relationship role models." Vanessa states matter of factly while putting a slice of cheese on a cracker and taking a bite.
"Alright let's lay off these two before Naya dies of embarrassment and claims that ethnic people don't actually blush." Amber adds while making her way over to the living room carrying one of the trays with her.
They all gather around the living room. Lea was quite the entertainer and her house had generally been the designated party house so she always made sure to have enough seating around when she was designing her living space. Everyone had settled into a spot on the two couches, love seats, and two side chairs. Heather had claimed the corner of the couch so she could prop herself up more easily. Heather was chatting with Harry and Vanessa when Amber and Naya walked back in from the kitchen. Heather could see her wife visibly shivering.
"Naya sweetheart, are you cold?" Heather asked from across the room catching the attention of most of the crew.
"Freaking freezing! Lea keeps it like a meat locker in here, which is ironic since she's vegan.." Naya groans crossing her arms trying to stay warm.
"Seriously Lea, poor Naya's teeth are chattering, let's turn the heat up girlfriend!" Amber says turning towards Lea who reluctantly gets up to raise the thermostat.
"Come here beautiful." Heather motioned for Naya to lay between her legs and proceeded to cover the two of them with a throw blanket that Diana tossed them.
"Thanks, Di." Heather smiles back while snuggling Naya close while making sure she's completely covered.
"You warming up my love?" She asks Naya while sneakily pressing her palm against Naya's bare belly since they were under the covers and nobody would notice. Naya looks up warmly at her wife and nods while placing her hands over Heather's. They loved having their little secret, well what they hoped was real. The girls look at them, and as usual start cooing over the lovebirds.
"What if we forced one of them to switch places with one of us so they had to be separated for 5 minutes.." Mark asks the group.
Some of the group found his comments amusing while most of the girls send a glare his way. Brittany tightens her hold on Santana covering her belly with her hand as if someone was going to pull Naya and her baby away.
"Absolutely not. Get yourself a girlfriend stop being such a horn dog then maybe you'll have a nice woman to snuggle with and can finally leave us alone." Heather snaps surprising everyone. Even though Heather was always extremely chill and easy-going, she will have moments that test her patience.
"How about a game of truth or dare?" Kevin asks the group. Most agreed. A few of them groaned including Diana, Heather, and Naya but they ignored them and forced them to join in.
"Never have I ever had sex on a commercial airplane…" Harry asks the group.
Jenna "Never"
Artie "Can't say I have, unfortunately"
Amber "Oh hell yes!"
Lea "Alright Amber! Nope I haven't"
Diana "Nope.."
Mark "Multiple times" topping off his answer with a smug smirk.
Naya "I'm shocked.." rolling her eyes.
Chris "Never have"
Vanessa "I've gotten freaky but the flight attendant started knocking.."
Heather "Oh damn!" Heather adds while giggling.
Mark "You didn't answer" pointing to Heather and Naya.
Heather "…yep" kissing the top of Naya's head.
Jenna "Naya?"
Naya "ugh…yes"
Mark "we'll let's hope if Heather has had sex on a plane, Naya has as well otherwise that would mean Heather got her freak on and it wasn't with Naya.." wiggling his eyebrows.
Heather immediately pulls Naya close letting her know she should ignore Mark but also aware Naya's hormones can make her more sensitive.
"Never have I ever kissed more than one member of the cast..as your character doesn't count" Lea asks.
Kevin "Oh this should be good. I, unfortunately, haven't kissed anyone outside of playing Artie."
Jenna "I kissed Diana once. I think we were drunk. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was our season 3 wrap party so I can say with certainty that we were very tipsy." Adding a giggle while Diana looks at her and snorts out a laugh remembering that evening.
Harry "Obviously you all know me and Jenna went on a couple of dates a few years back so we kissed."
Amber "I have not. Speaking of that Harry, what the hell happened with you two? You guys were adorable.."
Jenna "I really don't know to be honest. We had a great time. I think we just got busy.." answers shyly
Amber "Well get it together you two.." she laughs
Jenna "Yes ma'am! And yes for me it would be Harry and Diana I guess.."
Mark "As you all know I was Naya's boy toy back in the day. We did some heavy making out. It was awesome!" He adds while sending a wink in Naya's direction making both Heather and Naya glare in response.
Heather "I swear to god Mark are you trying to get me to kill you because I really have no issue with doing so."
Mark "Upset I got to Naya before you did, are ya?" He responds playfully but with a little extra ammunition due to the number of beers he's had.
Naya turned into Heather hiding her face against the crook of her neck letting out a shaky breath. Heather quickly removes her hands from underneath the blanket to rub Naya's back.
"Hey, beautiful. You alright?" She adds trying to brush some of the flowing locks out of Naya's face with no luck. "Sweetheart, can you look at me?" Growing more concerned.
Naya eventually lifts her head revealing her red eyes as a few teardrops escape her brown eyes. She didn't feel like talking so she buries her face against Heather's neck again.
"Alright so here's what's going to happen Mark. You're going to drop this topic and leave my wife's name out of your mouth for the rest of the evening. Have I made myself clear?" Heather snaps while continuing to hold her wife tight and press reassuring kisses to her head.
"Wow. Overreacting much. Naya why are you bawling? It's a game! Good lord!" Mark adds with a over-exaggerated eye roll.
Naya lifts her head enough to turn and look at Mark. Fresh tears coming down. She knows she might be overreacting but she's also been doped up on hormones for months. She has an excuse. Naya also hates that period of her life when she had a fling with Mark. She was struggling with her sexuality in very similar ways as her character. She hated to think anything ever happened before Heather came into her life.
"Mark we never even had sex. All you got from me were a few make-out sessions! I was over with you by the time the pilot aired. The second Heather came on the show it was all over for me. That's pretty clear. So shut up." Naya says in a warning tone before leaning back into Heather's comforting embrace. Heather shoots Mark a glare that says 'I dare you to say something else..'
"Whatever" Mark replies with an eye roll. The guys shake their heads at Mark knowing he should have shut his mouth a long time ago. The ladies are all looking at Heather with a concerned look for the girl who's still buried into her chest.
"She's okay girls. She's just tired. She didn't sleep well last night." Heather responds softly while caressing Naya's face and running her fingers up and down her arm in the way Naya loves so much. The ladies seem satisfied with that answer and decide to back off.
The crew continued to play games which soon turned into reminiscing about their first few days on set and touring. Soon it was approaching midnight and they were all getting sleepy. A few had already dozed off on the couch.
"Alright, guys I think it's time for me to bring this gorgeous girl home." Heather says while maneuvering into the sitting position while holding a sleeping Naya in her arms.
"How does she not wake up?!" Lea asks amused.
"Like I said she didn't get much sleep last night. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did." Heather replied while everyone looked on in amazement as Heather effortlessly lifted Naya bridal style and stood up. They all knew Heather was strong, obviously, she was an insanely good dancer, but she carried Naya around like she was carrying a small child.
"Jeez Hemo. Our dance rehearsals are clearly working for you aren't they!" Harry says while patting her lightly on the back. Heather giggles softly in response.
"Hey, can one of you grab our purses and Naya's jacket for me? ..Oh, you know what? Vanessa, can you grab the keys and start the vehicle for me? Naya gets really cold and without her jacket and I want to make sure it's warm enough for her." Heather asks sweetly while glancing at Vanessa.
"Of course." Vanessa smiles while grabbing the keys from Diana and running out to start their Mercedes.
"You know you can sit back down or put her down Hemo if you're going to be hanging out a few more minutes." Kevin adds with a surprised look wondering how her arms haven't fallen off yet.
"I'm good Kevin. She's so relaxed and sleeps her best when she's able to cuddle. Don't tell her that though." Heather giggles and looks down at the sleeping woman in her arms and places the most gentle of kisses on her forehead. "Plus she weighs almost nothing. She's like my little Polly Pocket!"
"Oh my god, I remember those!" Jenna adds while laughing.
The front door opens revealing Vanessa who quietly shuts the door behind her. "Cars started Hemo. I made sure the fan was turned up so it warms up quicker."
"Thanks, Nessa." Heather adds while kissing her sweetly on the cheek along with the rest of her friends since hugs weren't an option at the moment.
Once Heather was out the door with Naya, Vanessa carried her jacket to the car and opened the door so Heather could lay her wife down and buckle her in.
"Thanks for reclining the seat too hun." Heather says giving Vanessa a hug. "We will see you guys soon!" Heather adds before closing the car door as gently as possible before settling in the car and driving away.