"Today's the day!" Anastasia is excited to start the next phase of her IVF. This morning, she'll be put under anesthesia and they'll retrieve the eggs that her body has produced over the last couple of weeks. She is more than ready to get rid of them. Her stomach is distended and sore from the amount of eggs her anatomy has produced and she's ready for the bloat and sensitivity to subside.
Christian grins from the driver's seat of his R8 as she hops in. "Good morning to you, too, Ana."
"Are you ready for today?" She asks, buckling her seat belt. She's smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt.
"I am." He answers, checking that her seatbelt is latched correctly. He first started doing this when they got their driver's licenses and she used to fight him on it, but she's long given up on it. It seems to be a kind of OCD for him and since it makes him feel better, she deals with it.
"And you haven't ejaculated in three days, right?" Anastasia wants to make sure they have their best chance at this.
"Jesus, Ana. No. I haven't." Although they have few boundaries, Christian can't help, but feel a little violated by this question. It's really none of her business when he masturbates and he is well aware of the doctor's directions.
She giggles. "Good. On to the doctors then." In three days they'll be heading back so that Dr. Evan's can place two of her eggs back inside of her womb. In eight days, she could be taking a pregnancy test that reads positive. God, she is so ready.
After they sign into the doctor's office, they both get an armband identifying each of them and they're taken back to the procedure room, where Anastasia is told to change into a hospital gown. When she's back in her hospital bed and comfortable, the nurse returns to do her IV.
"We're going to be putting you under some light sedation while the doctor retrieves your eggs. Once you're asleep, the process should only take about forty-five minutes and the sedation is rather light, so you should be awake and ready to get dressed within the hour after. Now, I want to go over some instructions with you before you go under in case you have a hard time retaining information after your anesthesia. I'll also give you a handout for you to keep." The nurse hands the instruction page to Christian for safe keeping.
"The doctor usually puts patients on hormones to help prepare the endometrial lining for the embryos, but because you have endometriosis, she doesn't feel comfortable with that, so the only medication you'll be leaving with today is an antibiotic that she'll want you to take for a few days afterward to decrease the chance of infection. You'll need to have him drive you home and it's recommended that you go home and rest for the remainder of the day. Do not use tampons, sit in bodies of water...including bathtubs, or have sex after this procedure. You'll have cramping and probably spot a little. You can use pads for your spotting."
The nurse turns her attention to Christian. "Mr. Grey, after Ms. Steele is awake and doing well, we'll ask you to go and give us a sperm specimen. You can either stay here and do it or we have rooms that contain products to help."
Anastasia snorts. "What does that mean?"
Christian squeezes his eyes shut. Don't make her say it.
"Well, Ms. Steele, it means that we have rooms that have televisions where he can watch porn and a rack of magazines he can choose from to help him along. No one enjoys this experience and we've found that these products help relieve the stress for the men who are needing to give us samples."
Anastasia's face reddens. "Got it."
Christian can understand why many men have a problem with this. There is a doctor, multiple nurses, and a woman all waiting for the donation and they all know what the man is in the other room is doing. It's not much different than having to perform in front of an audience. Stage fright. Hopefully, he'll be able to perform when it comes down to it.
XxXxXx
As Anastasia recovers from her anesthesia, the doctor comes in to give them an update.
"How are you feeling, Anastasia?"
Anastasia gives Dr. Evans a groggy smile. "Drowsy, but good."
"Great. We managed to collect eleven of your eggs. At this point, we don't know if all of them are viable, but we'll pick two that are in the best shape and place them with Christian's donation to be fertilized. The others we will keep for future IVF cycles if need be."
She's relieved. "That's good news. Thank you, Dr. Evans."
Dr. Evans gives her a warm smile and turns to Christian. "Now, Christian, it's your turn. You'll need to take this cup and this wipe and I'll need you to wipe the head of your penis clean before you begin masturbating. Have you decided if you'd like one of those rooms or do you want to do it here?"
Christian chews his lip. The thought of masturbating in a room where hundreds...maybe even thousands of men have beat their dick doesn't sound cleanly. He's never been one to enjoy pornographic videos. The women in them are always so melodramatic and making the most ridiculous faces he's ever seen. He's always appreciated magazines like Playboy but he can only imagine what type of filth is stuck on those pages from others while they thumbed through them.
"If it's alright, I think I'd rather do it here...in the bathroom." He doesn't want to do it in front of Anastasia either. That would be too awkward.
Dr. Evans nods. "That's fine. Just hit Anastasia's call light when you are finished." She hands him the cup and the wipe and disappears, shutting the door behind her.
Christian's eyes meet Anastasia's and she wiggles her eyebrows. "Good luck, tiger."
"Thanks, I might need it."
She giggles. "Would it help if I flashed you before you went in?"
He gives her a wink. "Can you strut around in those tiny thongs you like to wear? Maybe bounce up and down a little?"
She gasps. "Christian!" She throws a piece of ice at him.
He dodges the piece of ice and laughs. "You offered!"
Rolling her eyes, she chews on a piece of ice. "Just get in there and do your job."
He sighs, dramatically. "Fine."
"I'll be in here rooting for you!" Anastasia calls loudly as he shuts the bathroom door.
He closes his eyes and shakes his head. How the fuck is he supposed to do this now?
Christian is suddenly feeling the pressure. If he takes too long, then they'll know he had trouble, but if he comes too fast, they'll think he gets some weird kinky satisfaction out of masturbating in public places. Why the fuck does he care so much? This is supposed to be about Anastasia, him, and their baby.
He unbuckles his belt and unzips his jeans, pulling them down enough to release his dick. He has a seat on the toilet lid and sighs. Do this, Grey. This is important. Everyone is counting on him.
Before he begins, he tears open the packet containing the wipe and cleans the head of his penis off like the doctor instructed. He throws it in the trash beside him and relaxes back, taking a deep, cleansing breath.
Closing his eyes, he takes himself in his hand and squeezes. He runs through a couple of vivid memories of him and his past fuck buddies and he gets harder, but he can't get in the mood completely. He really doesn't understand why his past conquests are no longer attractive to him. He knows he wants more than he used to, but the girls were beautiful and any man would enjoy seeing them naked. Boredom he tells himself. He needs something new to concentrate on.
Although he knows he's treading dangerous waters, he allows himself to recall the memory of Anastasia standing at her bathroom sink in nothing, but a shirt and her tiny panties. The way her shirt rode up while she sat on the counter, the small swatch of fabric between her legs peeking out from underneath the shirt. He knew by the way it laid against her center that she was bare. If she would have just parted them a little more, he might have been able to see the indentation of her slit or even her clit if he had been lucky. He bets she smells phenomenal when she's aroused.
His dick grows quickly in his hand and bobs a little.
Fuck.
Why is he finding her so damn sexy all of a sudden?
Don't dwell on it, Grey.
He continues to picture Anastasia in her panties, this time in the thong she was wearing the first time he administered her shot. That sweet, light blue lace thong tracing the tops of her sexy little ass cheeks...and the way her alabaster skin turned the sweetest shade of pink after he spanked her.
He can now feel his heartbeat in his dick as his hand moves up and down his shaft, squeezing. Thinking of Anastasia is working, although a part of him feels guilty. Not guilty enough to stop, of course.
He replays the moment where she began to get comfortable with him administering the injections.
Anastasia teases him by shimmying her dress up to her waist and shaking her ass at him as she stands in front of her desk at SIP. She's wearing blush pink lacy cheeky underwear and he smacks her ass to make her still. The lacy number she's wearing is covering the injection site and he has to pull them down a tad to give her the dose. Her backside is so soft against the tips of his fingers. She's got the softest skin he's ever touched. He wants to explore her body...wants to see if every inch of her skin is this soft. He can't help, but let his finger tip run over her skin a few times and almost groans when he sees goosebumps form on her skin from his touch.
Christian begins to pant and can feel that he's almost there. His hand begins to move faster and he squeezes his eyes shut, pulling up his favorite memory of the past two weeks.
Anastasia stands in her bedroom the morning after she left work early from being lonely and upset. He spent the night spooning her and wants to give her the shot before they both go their separate ways for the day. She shimmies her shorts and panties down below the bottom swell of her ass and he sees that she has a bruise from the shot he gave her the day before. He's upset and he tells her so, running the pad of his thumb over the bruise softly. She tells him it doesn't hurt, but that doesn't stop him from kneeling down and pressing his lips to the bruise. She's surprised, but her body shivers under his lips and it's gratifying to see her react to him that way. He tells her that the kiss will make the bruise fade faster and after he gives her a shot in the opposite cheek, he follows it with another kiss, telling her it'll keep it from bruising. She does her famous eye roll at him and bites her plump bottom lip...the one that's the same color as her favorite bubble gum...and it makes his jeans uncomfortably tight.
What would it feel like to be able to bite that lip for her? To be able to suck on it while he feels the moan come out of her mouth, resonating from her throat? How would his name sound coming from her lips as he makes her writhe in pleasure under him?
"Fuck." He hisses and hurries to place the tip of his dick in the cup as he comes long and hard into it, his stomach spasming with each ribbon that shoots out.
He's panting when he finishes and after he places the top on the cup, he places it on the sink and takes a few extra seconds to catch his breath. Finally, he cleans off his tip with some toilet paper and pulls his pants up, righting his clothes. He washes and dries his hands and finally makes his way out of the bathroom, feeling like he's doing the walk of shame the morning after.
Anastasia is playing on her cell phone when he comes out and she turns her head when she hears him.
"So? How'd it go?" She smiles and bites her bottom lip, causing him to look away.
Christian shrugs. "It went." He holds the cup up and she gives him a big, cheesy smile.
"Great! Good job." She hits her call light, eager to get her eggs fertilized. "Let me see!"
His eyes widen. "You want to see?"
Giggling, she holds out her hand. "Yes! I deserve to see what's going to be attacking my fragile little eggs."
Snorting, he hands the cup over.
Anastasia beams at him. "I'm so excited!" She holds the cup closer. "Do your job, fellas."
Christian rolls his eyes at her. "Of course they're going to do their job. They're mine, aren't they?"
XxXxXx
Three days later, Christian drives them back to the clinic so that Anastasia can receive the embryos.
"The good news is that Christian has a high sperm count, so there isn't any worry there." Dr. Evans tells them, looking over their chart.
Christian places his hands on his hips and beams. "I knew we had nothing to worry about." He feels cocky as hell.
Anastasia ignores him. He doesn't need anyone else stroking his ego. "You said the good news...so what's the bad news then?"
Dr. Evans sighs. "Well, the bad news is that four of your eggs were non-viable, so we're down to seven. If, for whatever reason, these two eggs don't attach to the uterine wall, we'll only have five more eggs to work with going forward."
"We won't need any more than that." Christian states, convinced. "This will work, Anastasia. You won't have to do anymore fertility treatments."
Anastasia chews her lip, but nods. She doesn't know how he can be so sure. Her uterus is scarred and they only have a 60% chance of this working. She knows she needs to try to be optimistic about this, though.
"If you're ready, the nurse will take you back and get you put into your gown so that we can transfer the embryos back into your uterus."
Anastasia looks up at Christian needing some comfort, unable to shake the sadness in her chest from the doctor's news. She knows she doesn't have enough money to go through all the fertility stuff again, so this is her only chance. Her chest tightens knowing, but she refuses to cry. Instead, she takes a cleansing breath and hugs Christian, hoping the closeness will help.
"You'll do great, love."
She leans up and pecks his lips. "A good luck kiss."
He grins. "Yes, good luck." He reaches down and squeezes her hand before they're separated.
Christian waits impatiently for almost an hour while Anastasia is in the exam room. His leg shakes the whole time and he's chewed his thumbnail down to the quick. He's getting too antsy. He needs to move.
He stands and begins to pace, but it doesn't last long. On his third pace across the waiting room, Anastasia comes out from the back.
"Finally." He hurries to her and puts an arm around her, trying to help her walk. "How do you feel?"
Anastasia giggles. "I'm fine, Christian. I can walk."
He ignores her and escorts her to the car with his arm around her. He buckles her in the passengers side and settles himself behind the steering wheel.
"So...they're in there?" He looks down at her stomach.
She gives him an amused grin. "Yes, Christian."
Reaching over, he rests his hand just above the waistband of her jeans. "This is so surreal, Ana." He rubs her stomach. "In eight days we could be finding out that you're pregnant. We could be having a baby in nine months time."
She smiles down at his hand and rests her hand on top of his. "I know. I've got butterflies at the thought. Thank you so much, Christian. I don't even know how to ever repay you."
Christian shakes his head. "Thank you, Ana. The baby is payment enough. This child will be priceless. You're going to be carrying something so precious, Anastasia...I'm the one who will forever be in your debt."
Leaning over, she cups his face and kisses him softly. She pulls back, thinks twice and presses her lips to his again. When she pulls away, her cheekbones are tinged pink and she bites her lip and looks out the passenger window.
He's frozen in his spot, confused at what just happened. She's just happy. She just wanted to show her appreciation. That's it.
"I'm hungry, Christian. Can we grab something to eat before we head to your place?"
He clears his throat, forcing himself back to the present. "No, Ana. Gail is making something. You need to rest." He's happy to hear that she's hungry. She needs to eat. He knows that there will probably be more than a couple fights regarding food when she becomes pregnant. He'll want her to eat more than she'll be willing to, but he's hoping that he'll win. He can't bear to think of his child being malnourished or hungry while in the womb. Hopefully, Anastasia will know what's best for the mother's instinct will kick in and she'll want to eat.
When they return to Escala, he escorts her straight to the bedroom while Gail makes lunch for them.
"I've got a surprise for you."
Anastasia's eyebrows knit together. "A surprise?"
He nods and gives her a smile as he opens the door to his bathroom. Sitting in the middle of the bathroom is a professional pedicure chair.
"What...what is this?"
"Since you need to relax, I thought it'd be nice to have someone come in to do your nails and maybe a facial if you're up for it. Then you can come back to bed and we can watch movies and eat popcorn and your favorite snacks."
"Oh, Christian...you are so sweet." She pulls him in for a hug and squeezes him tight. "I'm glad it's your baby I'm going to be having."
"You should know by now that I'm the best."
She sighs. "Don't ruin it with that mouth."
He turns her around and folds down the duvet so she can get in bed. "We'll eat first and then I'll call the nail tech to do your nails. Until then, you're to remain in this bed. Do you understand?"
Anastasia giggles. "Like you're going to let me out of it regardless."
"That's true, but this will be easier if I don't have to tie you to it. I own enough ties to do it."
Her eyes widen. "I'm good. I'll stay in bed."
Chuckling, Christian bends down and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Good choice, love. Now, here's the remote to the television. I'm going to go check on lunch. I'll bring you lunch in bed."
XxXxXx
Anastasia wakes up early on the Saturday after the embryo transfers. It's officially been eight days since they've left the doctors. As she stretches, she smiles. She wants to take a pregnancy test now, but she promised Christian that she wouldn't do it without him. Not bothering to change, she throws on a hoodie over her oversized t-shirt and slides into some flip flops before grabbing her handbag and heading down to the valet. Her bladder feels like it's going to burst, but she knows that she should keep her morning urine for the pregnancy test.
After what seems like an eternity, Joshua pulls up her GMC and she hops in. "Thank you, Joshua!"
She speeds off toward Escala, which is only a few minutes away. Pulling up to the garage, she hurries to input the four digit code and dances in her seat as she waits for the garage door to open.
"Don't pee. Don't pee. Don't pee." She chants as she pulls into the closest parking spot to the elevator and runs to the elevator.
The ride to his penthouse takes far too long. She swears that she's going to piss in her pants, but luckily, the elevator door opens and she hurries through the foyer, fiddling with her keys until she finds the one that unlocks the foyer door.
Once she's in, she relocks it and half-expects to see Taylor or Gail while she makes her way through, but the apartment is quiet. Everyone is still sleeping peacefully.
Tough.
Christian will just have to get up. She can't hold it anymore.
She jumps on his bed, making him startle and yell out in surprise.
"WAKY WAKY!" She yells, giggling.
"Jesus Christ, Anastasia! What the fuck?!"
"It's been eight days and my bladder is about to explode! Wake up and come to the bathroom!" She hops off the bed and hurries into the bathroom. She begins to pull open all of his drawers, trying to find the pregnancy tests. Finally, in the last drawer, she finds them.
"Of fucking course." She murmurs under her breath and hurries to the toilet, shutting the privacy door behind her. She pulls her bottoms down, dancing as she tries to hold it and has a seat to yank open two of the tests.
"Ahhh..." She sighs as she finally relieves her bladder, holding both tests under her stream. She made it. Her bladder didn't burst like she thought it might.
When she's finished, she brings the tests with her and places them on the counter while she washes her hands. Christian stands there, staring down at the two tests.
"How long do these usually take?"
"Three minutes, I think?"
He sighs. "I'm going to piss while we wait."
Anastasia hops up on the counter and swings her legs, trying not to pay any attention to the white sticks laying beside her. The time will just go slower if she stares. Please, oh please, oh please, oh please she begs in her head. She doesn't think she's ever wanted anything so badly in her life.
After Christian flushes and washes his hands, he takes her hand in his. "Should we look?"
She nods.
"Together?"
"Together."
They both take a test.
"1...2...3!" Christian counts and they both look down at their stick.
Anastasia's heart drops into her stomach.
Negative.
Her chin trembles. She's not pregnant. Her body has failed her. She's too fucked up.
"Oh, Ana… I'm so sorry." Christian wraps her in a hug.
"No, I'm sorry, Christian. This is all my fault." She lets out a small sob and her tears start rolling down her cheeks.
"Don't you dare say that, Anastasia. Don't you blame yourself. We'll just have to try again. You've got more eggs. We'll try again next month."
She lets out another sob. "I wanted this so badly."
"I know, baby. I know." He rocks her from side to side. He did, too… He refuses to give up. It might take them another try or even two or three...but he won't give up. Anastasia deserves this. They deserve this.
Christian picks her up and carries her to his bed, where he curls up with her. It's still really early in the morning and he's hoping that she'll fall back to sleep. If she does, at least her pain will stop for awhile.
"Oh, Christian...I'm so sorry." She's just beside herself. She was so sure that this was going to work. She had really thought she was pregnant. Just wishful thinking. She has cried so much over the past six weeks and it seems like she's not going to be stopping any time soon. She doesn't understand why this is happening to her. What has she done so horrible that she doesn't deserve this? This isn't fair.
"Sh...sh..sh." He hushes her and holds her to him, pressing his face to her hair. He wants to cry, but he won't allow himself to. She already feels bad enough as it is. She doesn't need to see him so upset on top of it. He rubs her back up and down as she cries into his neck. Eventually, she falls asleep and he allows himself to doze off, too.
If you'd like a teaser for Chapter 12, let me know.