Helen and Richard Granger sat across from Dr Stephens and tried to brace themselves for whatever news he might be about to give them. Helen reminded herself, Adoption is always an option if this doesn't work out, right?
Richard's thoughts weren't quite as positive. I bet the problem's with me. It has to be me.
Despite their trembling hands and racing thoughts, they presented a united front. Dr Stephens cleared his throat and gave them their test results in a soothing voice. "Mrs Granger," he said, using the title they had agreed on to avoid the confusion of calling both Grangers 'Dr Granger', "all of your tests came back looking great. We found no reason that you shouldn't be able to carry a healthy baby to term." He liked to start with the good news first; it seemed to soften the blow when bad news was coming next. "Mr Granger, your tests brought up a few concerns. It appears that there may be a genetic abnormality on your side that is causing your issues with infertility and Mrs Granger's repeated miscarriages."
Richard Granger's face went blank aside from the furrow in his brow. His wife knew him well enough to know that he was upset but trying to be strong for her. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and turned back to hear the rest of the doctor's explanation.
"With this in mind, there are a few options. Obviously, you can keep trying and hope for the best. It is still possible that you will be able to conceive a healthy child. It just isn't as probable as I'd like. The next option would be to pick a sperm donor. Our clinic has a fairly extensive sperm bank and list of donors you can choose from, if you would like to go that route. Adoption would be the other option, though you would need to go through the proper channels for that. Our receptionist can give you a few pamphlets to look over with a few of the local adoption agencies' information."
Richard was still stuck on the fact that he was to blame for the years of heartache and loss that had plagued their otherwise wonderful marriage. Helen was quicker in her thinking and was already analyzing the options. A sperm donor didn't sound so bad. They had their choice from a pretty extensive list, from the sound of things, and it would be nice to be able to pick someone just right - physically, mentally, and otherwise.
Helen squeezed Richard's hand again, hoping to draw him out of his thoughts, while she turned to the doctor. "Would it be alright if we had a moment to ourselves? This is rather a lot to process."
Dr Stephens smiled and nodded gently before quietly leaving the room.
Helen turned to her husband, torn between giving him her two bits on what would be the best course of action and giving him more time to process all that they'd been told. He reached up to scratch at his receding hairline and opened his mouth as if to speak, letting out a sigh before turning to face Helen in the chair next to him.
"I'm so sorry, love," he choked out. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and Helen's heart broke for the man who had been with her through everything and had his hopes and dreams shattered just as many times. "I knew it; this is all my fault. All this time…" he trailed off, his emotions becoming too much to bear.
Helen scooted her chair closer and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Look at me, Rich," she commanded. "Blame doesn't do any good in a situation like this. If the problem had been with me, I am absolutely certain you would not have begrudged me our lost little angels and all the heartache that has come with years of trying. And I am just as sure that you would not have allowed me to wallow in self-pity. It's time to move forward - finally have the baby we've always dreamed of! It doesn't much matter to me how we do it. Either way, she'll be ours. And she'll be perfect."
"She, eh?" Richard said, sniffling a laugh. His watery smile warmed Helen's heart. They were going to be okay.
XxxX
Before they knew it, the Grangers found themselves back at the fertility clinic. The paperwork had gone quickly and easily, once they'd decided to go the sperm donor route. It had definitely been a blow to Richard's pride, but he was more than willing to do whatever it took to give Helen the baby they both wanted more than anything. At least this way it would still be Helen's baby, in the genetic sense. Richard had only had eyes for her since they had first met, and he hoped their baby looked like her.
Choosing a donor had been a bit of a process, but the hours of reading through sperm donor profiles had paid off when they stumbled on the man who seemed to be the perfect candidate for becoming their child's biological father. He was a self-proclaimed bookworm, introvert, and honors student. He didn't care much for sports, "or other nonsense," Helen had noted with a smile. No picture had been included with his file, but the description of sandy brown hair, green eyes, slim frame, and above-average height sounded nice.
All in all, he was exactly what the Grangers were looking for.
With that decision behind them, they only had to track Helen's cycle and set up a date for insemination. It seemed that the week of Christmas would be bringing them the best gift they could imagine in the form of an insemination appointment and bright hopes for a pregnancy that would finally stick.
So there they sat, waiting to be taken back into the exam room for the big moment. Richard kept going back and forth between making horrible jokes, "How many men does it take to make Baby Granger? Three!" and quietly holding Helen's hand, leg bouncing nervously.
Finally, a nurse came and put him out of his misery, calling out, "Mr and Mrs Granger?"
The couple stood, and Helen squeezed her husband's hand as they followed the nurse to their room. The exam table held a hospital gown and a folded sheet.
"Go ahead and put the gown on and drape the sheet over your lap," the nurse said. "Dr Stephens will be in shortly."
Richard sat in the chair closest to the exam table, whistling quietly in admiration as his wife quickly removed her clothes and placed them on the empty seat. She donned the faded, pink hospital gown and turned to let her husband help her with the tie in the back, holding her hair out of the way for him. He pulled her in for one last kiss before she climbed up onto the table to wait.
After a few moments of charged silence, Dr Stephens knocked quietly and let himself in.
"Who's ready to make a baby?" he said, smiling at the couple.
They laughed nervously, and Helen whispered, "Heaven knows we are."
The doctor nodded in understanding and went about his work, explaining the procedure before he began. The Grangers held on tightly to each other, their clasped hands like a lifeline.
Before they knew it, the procedure was over. The doctor instructed Helen to rest for a bit before they left and wished them luck.
Two weeks later, the Grangers celebrated a positive pregnancy test and broke out their list of baby names. Helen was still certain they were going to have a girl.
She wanted to name her Hermione.
A/N: THANK YOU for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. I am so sorry this update has been so long in coming. Having a baby puts a bit of a kink in one's writing schedule. ;) I hope to get updates up much more regularly now that we're getting back on a semi-predictable schedule. Let me know what you think...and what you'd like to see happen with this little story! My lovely beta, Synoir, helped me map out the main points for the rest of the fic, but I want to hear what you would like to read!
Also, it has come to my attention that fertility clinics in the UK do things differently than they do in the US. I was so excited about this plunny when I started the story that I didn't even think about that. SO. I apologize that some of the ins and outs of that are going to be inaccurate. Hopefully you can still enjoy the story! :)