Steve sat on the bed this time, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. He knew better than to rush her. The first time had been amusing, the second she scolded him playfully, but the third time she didn't even answer. This was their sixth time and he learned to just sit and be quiet. He glanced at his watch wanting to tell her he was going to be late if she didn't hurry, they both were, but again he knew it wouldn't make any difference. He heard the toilet flush but didn't have the same enthusiasm as he did the last five times they went through this. Getting his hopes up was just not worth the let down, it was becoming a pattern he didn't enjoy.

She came out of the bathroom and went to him as he sat on the bed. She stood before him staring down at the window on the little white stick. He on the other hand watched for her expression rather than the stick. He counted back from sixty, knowing it was usually about twenty before it displayed, and right on schedule her face turned grim.

She looked down at him. "Nope," her voice matching her expression.

"I'm going to be late for work," he said in the same disappointing manner, standing up.

"Yeah don't be late," she said sarcastically. "Sorry I kept you."

"Are you mad at me?" he fired back. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

She plopped down in the spot he had just vacated, staring down at the blue line, "No." She looked up at him, feeling bad for making him think that. "I'm sorry."

He sat down next to her putting his arm around her. "It'll happen. It happened once before, it'll happen again."

"But Dr. Lewis said I was fine after the miscarriage. I don't understand what the problem is. We've been trying for six months, why isn't it happening?"

"Maybe we aren't trying hard enough," he nudged her. "Maybe we need more practice?"

She looked up at his grin, knowing he was just trying to make light of the stressful situation. She laid her head on his shoulder, still feeling bad for lashing out at him. "You don't need practice. If there was an Olympic event for that, you'd win all the Gold Medals."

Her compliment was nice and the joking was like an icebreaker, but the stress of the situation was still there no matter how hard they tried to rise above it. "Don't let this ruin your day," he said squeezing her.

"I won't," she lied, knowing it already had.

"We have to go." He stood up, making his way to the door.

"I think we should go see a doctor," she blurted out.

"We have," he replied with a confused expression. "He said you're fine. It's probably all the stress of wanting it so bad that's making it difficult. We should just stop worrying about it and it'll happen."

"I don't think that's the answer. And when I say a doctor I mean a specialist. A fertility doctor."

He stood in the doorway staring at her over that suggestion. He felt a blow to his manhood and his ego over that. "So let me see then," his expression tense. "Since Dr. Lewis said you were fine then the reason for this 'specialist'" he used finger quotes, "is because obviously it's me that's not getting the job done."

"Why are you getting all defensive over this? I'm not saying it's you. You got me pregnant before, so why would you think it's you?"

"And you also got pregnant once before, so it must not be you."

"Yeah, I did," she huffed, "and I couldn't follow through with it either, could I?"

"Knock it off!" he said angrily. "You know that's not true, so don't bring that up and try to guilt me into going."

"Guilt you into going?" she repeated angrily. "That's a pretty shitty thing to say. I thought you'd want to go and

find answers too, but maybe you don't."

"So if I don't want to go, then I'm an asshole for not trying, which automatically labels me as not wanting a kid.

Is that it?" his voice getting louder. "That's a pretty shitty thing to say too."

"Don't go if you don't want too. I'll go by myself! I'm just trying to find a solution," she yelled back coming off the bed. "You better hurry or you'll be late for work." She went into the bathroom, slamming the door closed.

He followed behind until he was forced to stop. "Oh yeah that's nice Sarah, run to the bathroom and slam the

door. I guess this conversation is over then! Thanks for letting me know in the old fashioned, spoiled rotten, traditional style. This is a great way to solve our problem!"

She leaned back against the sink with her arms crossed angrily. "So is your old fashioned male way of thinking," she mumbled angrily.

He waited to see if she would come out or reply. After giving her only seconds he gave her what she had wished for, distance. He stormed out of the room and down the stairs, grabbing his keys and gun off the table, slamming the front door behind him as he left.

She came out and sat on the edge of the bed, still holding the white stick in her hand. She stared at the blue line as tears filled her eyes. It was the first fight they ever had as a married couple. The tears fell on her lap and she angrily threw the stick across the room. "You stupid thing!"

She put her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Chin!" Steve yelled out from his office. "Chin!"

He appeared at his door a little taken back by the tone in which he was being summoned. "What?"

"What are these?" Steve held up a file off a stack that was sitting on his desk. "I told you 2011 files, these are 2009. The guy didn't even live on the island in 2009, what good are these?" he blasted him.

"You told me 2009," he explained patiently, wondering where the hell the anger was coming from.

"No I didn't, I said 2011!" He slammed the file down on top of the others. "Write it down next time."

Chin came into his office fed up with his attitude that was uncalled for, pulling out his cell phone and the email Steve had sent him. "I did have it written down!" He threw his phone on the desk toward him as it slid to a stop just before the edge. "Your email! It reads 2009!"

Steve glanced down at it and then sat back in his chair without even touching it. He looked up at him as he stood before him with his arms crossed, glaring at him angrily. He knew it wasn't Chin that he was mad at, he was just an easy target. "I'm sorry," he sighed heavily, wiping his hands over his face, embarrassed at his outburst. He picked the phone up and handed it out to him. "I'm sorry Chin. It's just been a crappy day and…" He sat back again after Chin took the phone. "I'm sorry."

"Everything all right?" he asked, his irritation turning to concern.

Steve nodded, "Yeah." He looked up at him sheepishly, "Sarah and I had our first big fight this morning."

Chin smiled, "Ahhh, now I understand the hostility. Did you get caught drinking out of the milk carton?"

"I wish it was that simple." He paused but thought it would be good to have a guy's opinion on Sarah's specialist idea, and Chin was not only intelligent and tough around every angle, but he was also the type of guy who would give him honest advice about this. Danny on the other hand would cringe and sling him shit first and then talk about it. He didn't need that right now.

Steve leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. "Sarah took another pregnancy test this morning and it turned out negative."

"That stinks," Chin said sincerely. "Sorry man,"

"She wants to go see a specialist."

"A fertility doctor?" Chin asked.

Steve sat up, a little surprised that he knew the specialty name let alone guess it right. "Yes."

"That's probably not a bad idea," Chin encouraged. "My cousin and her husband were having problems conceiving and they went and saw one."

"How did it work out for them," Steve asked, his curiosity growing.

Chin smiled, "Three kids and counting."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

"It's expensive and I don't think insurance covers any of it. But," he shrugged, "I guess it depends on how bad you want kids."

That's what he needed to hear to give him the motivation he was looking for. It was what Sarah was trying to tell him too, only he was being too stubborn and selfish to see it that way. "Do you think you could get me the name of the doctor they went too?"

"Sure." He looked at his phone, texting his cousin and her husband.

Steve looked up at him and cringed. "They're going to make me do it in a cup aren't they?" He'd had to do that once before, but he was twenty-four and it was for a military physical exam when they wanted him to apply for Naval Intelligence. It was issued as an order from the military doctor and he thought nothing more of it than getting an order to drop and do fifty, but this, this was completely different.

Chin laughed, "Yep, you'll probably have to do it in a cup. But again, how bad do you want kids?"

"Bad enough that I'll do it in a cup if I have too."

"We'll there you go. When you think how bad it will be for that couple of minutes, just think what Sarah has to go through for nine months." The look on Steve's face told him that he'd hit a guilty nerve. Chin grinned, "Flowers are always nice after a fight." His phone buzzed and he held it out to him with the doctor's name.

Steve jotted it down. "Don't say anything to Kono about this. It's bad enough Danny will probably find out."

"Ok, but I don't know what the big deal is. It makes you more of a man that you are willing to do it than it is to sit back and act like it's too much of an ego thing to even consider. But that's my opinion."

"Thanks Chin." That was exactly how he'd been taking it. He had been so consumed with his own humiliation over it that he didn't even take the time to consider that this really could be a problem solver. Sarah wasn't blaming him, she was just trying to solve the problem.

Sarah heard his truck pull up. She came out of the kitchen to greet him, not wanting this argument to go on any longer. It had been a particularly awful day, not only because of the pregnancy test, but the argument was weighing heavy on her. She wasn't sure she would be able to sleep that night if this went on any longer. If he didn't want to go then she decided she wouldn't push him, knowing that was always the wrong way to get him motivated anyway. She should have known better. They would just keep trying the old fashioned way.

She smiled as he came through the door, "Hi," she said sweetly. "Steve, I'm sorry."

"Wait," he said pulling the flowers out from behind his back.

She smiled brightly over the dozen white and pink roses with the single red one in the middle, just like he had left her that time on her doorstep.

He pulled out the red one that had a card attached to it. "Read it," he said, handing it to her.

"Thank you, these are beautiful." She opened the small card and all that was written on it was 'Thursday the 12th, 10:30 am.' She looked up at him confused. "I don't get it."

"It's an appointment we have with Dr. Welter. He's the best fertility doctor on the island. So I've heard."

Sarah's mouth hung open, stunned over what she was hearing. She looked back down at the card, overwhelmed that he had even gone the extra mile of finding the doctor and making the appointment. She looked back up at him. "Are you sure this what you want to do?"
"I'm sure that I want a baby with you. I'm also sure that it's not working like we had hoped." He put an arm around her waist. "I love you Sarah. I'm sorry for being so close minded this morning. It just caught me off guard, but I'm ok with it. I am."

She put her arms around his neck hugging him. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "I love you so much. This will work, I just know it."

He leaned back so he could see her. "You have to promise me one thing though."

"Anything!"

"If they make me do it in a cup, you have to help me out there." He closed his eyes shaking his head. "Just the thought of it gives me stage fright."

"I promise I'll help you out." She leaned forward whispering in his ear. "I'll do whatever you want."

"Really?" he smiled over that. "Anything?"

She nodded, biting her bottom lip, "Anything." She let her hand with the rose slide down his chest. "We can even practice if you want."

"No," he said, pulling her close again. "there's really nothing to practice, all you have to do is be there and I think it'll happen on its own."

She was always amazed at moments like this where she found more room in her heart to love him. She swore one day it was just going to explode from being so full. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

He slid his hand into her hair, "What do I tell you all the time?" he smiled.

"That you would do anything to make me happy." She gazed at him as if what she was seeing was so perfectly beautiful it was almost unbelievable.

"It's not just a line you know."

She nodded, "I know." She laid her head on his shoulder. "I would do anything to make you happy too."

Steve paced inside the small room that consisted of a sink, a TV and a DVD player with a couple of sketchy pornographic movies and two magazines that he'd never heard of but resembled the cover of the DVD case.

He shook his head. "This is never going to work. I can't do this here." He looked over at the plastic cup sitting on the small table with his name on it, last name first, first name last and then his birthdate just to be sure there would be no mix up. He blew out a breath and checked his phone again for a reply from Sarah. "Shit! She promised me."

It was only his second visit to the doctor. The first one had been brief, informing them of the different procedures they could expect, but first the doctor needed both of them physically and reproductively checked out.

He started toward the door to ask if he could go home and then bring it back when there was a soft knock. He opened to Sarah smiling at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I got stuck in traffic."

"Can we go home and do this?"

"Go home?" she said, turning the lights down in the room that had a dimmer for obvious reasons.

"Sarah," he said swallowing hard. "I don't think I can do this here." He pointed past her as she walked toward him unbuttoning her dress. "Especially with people out there who know what's going on in here."

She spoke seductively to him. "I got something to take your mind off those other people."

"I'm not sure anything…" he stopped mid sentence as she dropped the dress off her shoulders letting it fall to the floor.

She stepped out of it, pleased with his expression as he scanned her body in the camouflage push up bra and matching lace thong. The black pumps put her almost eye to eye with him.

"Where," he stammered taking in a deep breath. "Where did you get those?"

She moved up on him gently pushing him against the wall, whispering. "Naughty Seal girls dot com."

He smiled over that, reaching up to touch her.

"No, no Commander," she scolded him. "It's against the rules to fraternize with a private. You could get in big trouble for that," her voice low and sexy. "Let me do the touching," she brushed her lips over his, feeling his chest rise and fall, knowing he was enjoying it. She put her hands on his hips, sliding them around to his backside, caressing them over him as she kissed him.

It was one of those long deep kisses that drove him mad. He wanted to touch her so bad, but it was almost as much of a turn on to not be allowed too as the whole seduction was. He felt her hands come around the front of his pants, loosening his belt as she broke from the kiss. She bent slightly, rubbing her breasts against him as she kissed his neck and slowly unzipped his pants.

He could hardly catch his breath as she slipped her hand inside while he admired her body that was making him hard.

She reached over for the cup on the table, putting it in his hand, having to clench his fingers around it, not sure he was coherent enough to do it on his own. "You hold this," she said to him as she slid down his body, "and I'll hold this."

He moaned something that she thought might have been her name, dropping to her knees and using the one sure

fire method that would complete the mission.

"Oh God Sarah," he panted, reaching out and grabbing the back of the chair with his free hand to use as a brace, tilting his head back against the wall.

She accomplished what she had set out to do.

Sarah slipped her dress back on and began to button it up as he fastened his belt and then put the lid on the cup as instructed. She got almost to the last button when he grabbed her around the waist with one hand and buried his other in her hair, kissing her. He didn't break away for a long time, thanking her properly for what she had done. When he finally did he stared at her, his face still a little flushed. "I'm going to ravish your body tonight, I hope you know that," he spoke almost as if it were a warning.

She smiled, feeling a tingle move through her over that. "Oh my."

He kissed her once again quickly. "You think I'm joking but I'm not. You better prepare yourself," he grinned.

She giggled over that picking up the cup. "Here, take the kids out to the nurse."

That made him laugh. "She said to just put it in here." He opened up a small door that housed a shelf with another door on the other side that he assumed led to the laboratory. "That's it." he said, closing it.

He followed her out of the room and then signed a piece of paper, stating his approval for the test.

He put his arm over her shoulder as they walked toward the exit. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."

She held on around his waist. "You were very brave and I couldn't be more proud of my soldier."

"Me?" he said, wrapping his arm around her neck as she looked up at him. "You went above and beyond the call of duty." He kissed her. "Thank you." He held the door open for her as they left the office.

Sarah reached over and took Steve's hand as they waited for the doctor in his office. It was the third visit and the one they had been anticipating the most, hoping to get an understanding of why they couldn't conceive.

He looked over and winked at her. "Maybe he'll tell me they need another sample."

Sarah laughed, "I'm surprised you haven't offered."

He squeezed her hand, feeling confident that things were going to go well. But even if they didn't he still felt strong having her there with him. They both looked back over their shoulders as he came in holding what they presumed was their file, but it seemed large for only two visits.

"Hello," he said, going around to the back of his desk. He reached over extending his hand to Steve first and then to Sarah. "Good to see you again."

They replied the same.

He sat down and flipped the file open. "Well, I've been going over your case for the last couple of days since I got the results back from your exam Sarah, and your sample Steve." He looked up at him, "I promise I won't make you do that again for a while," he grinned, focusing back on the papers.

Steve glanced over at Sarah as she made a sad face for him over that statement. He squeezed her hand, stifling a laugh.

"The results of the tests are pretty conclusive." He rested his arms on the desk looking at Sarah. "My first concern was that maybe you had some tissue damage from your miscarriage, but everything seems to look normal and has healed well."

Steve smiled over that bit of news, pleased that she was in good health, but that smile began to dwindle as the doctor focused on him now. His heart began to race as the realization came to him that if it wasn't her, then it was he who had the problem.

"I've been going over your medical files, Steve. At least the ones I was able to obtain up to and after your involvement in Naval Intelligence. There were a few years in there that were not available to me as a civilian because of your Navy classification. However, even though I'm not aware of the extent of your exposure to harsh chemicals, biological chemicals, etc., I've based my conclusion on the past two years."

"Conclusion?" he asked nervously

"You have a low sperm count to the point that I would only give you and Sarah a 40% to 45% chance of conceiving on your own."

She felt his hand pull away from hers, just as stunned as he was over that diagnose.

"Wait a minute," Steve said. "I got her pregnant before. If I have a low sperm count, then how in the hell did that happen?"

"I didn't say it was a zero percent chance. You just hit your mark, but for that to happen again the odds are not good. Not good at all. It could be years."

He continued to talk, explaining the normal 200 million per parts for a normal man compared to what he had, but all Steve could hear was that he couldn't get his wife pregnant. "How," he interrupted the medical chatter, still reeling over the diagnose needing to know why. "How did it happen? Why? When I was in the military I had an extensive exam and I had to give them a sample, they told me I was fine."

Sarah reached over putting her hand on his arm, trying to calm him, seeing the anxiety over this in him growing.

The doctor sat back in his chair, "It could be a number of things you've been exposed to over the years, but I'm basing it on something I found in your file that happened about two years ago." He rustled through some papers in the file, pulling out a stapled bunch. "You were infected with a very toxic drug that left you literally paralyzed and caused massive seizures. Something like that doesn't just go away without leaving a mark somewhere. I think that with a combination of your military exposure to who knows what is the cause of this."

"So was it my time in the military or was it the drug?" he asked raising his voice. "I don't even think you know. You sound more like you're guessing to me!"

"Steve, please," Sarah said passively, "calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! He doesn't even know what he's talking about!"

Doctor Welter got up and came around his desk, seeing this reaction many times. "Steve there's nothing to be self-conscious about of over this."

"I'm not self conscious about anything! I want the right answer!"

"The right answer is that I don't know exactly what caused the low sperm count you have. I can only form an opinion from the information I have on hand, but what I do know for a fact is that it exists and the sooner you deal with that fact, the sooner we can move on and get you and Sarah on the right track to conceiving a child. However, if you feel strongly that you would like a second opinion then I recommend that you do that. But I promise you the results are going to be the same. I view the lab specimens myself on all cases like this just so I know that the results are conclusive before I begin this conversation. So in hindsight, I was the second opinion."

Sarah looked over at him as he glanced slightly at her out of the corner of his eye, but he wouldn't look at her. It was almost as if he were ashamed too. She slipped her hand inside of his. "What do you want to do?"

When he finally did look at her he didn't see pity or disappointment, but only that she was on his side. He knew that if he wanted a second opinion, she would have followed him out of that office and into another one without a single complaint. But this wasn't just about him, and every second he wasted pouting over the diagnosis was another second that he wasted from giving her what she wanted and he loved her too much to prolong her happiness another minute. He looked back over at the doctor.

"Where do we go from here? What's the next step?"