"I can't believe we are actually here; we're actually doing this." Barely able to contain her shriek, Daphne glanced around the waiting room of the surprisingly stylish fertility clinic; her knees bouncing up and down excitedly.
"This is your last chance to back out." Justin laughed, knowing full and well the annoyed glance he would receive from his best friend.
"I'm in it to win it."
"Aren't you nervous, at all?" Justin questioned, surprised at how his best friend was holding up. He had imagined she would be a nervous wreck.
"More anxious than nervous, really. I'm just ready to get this over with so we can get the ball rolling."
"Did someone mention balls?" Brian asked loudly as he plopped down in one of the over-stuffed metal chairs closest to the two. Noticing the appalled looks being thrown his way from the other patients nearest them, Brian grinned triumphantly.
"Oh my god, what if both embryos take. Do you really think you guys can handle twins? I remember a time or two when Brian could barely settle Gus down. Multiply that by two." Remembering the many times when Brian had struggled with Gus all those years ago, Justin and Daphne tried to hide their laughter as they received a silent 'fuck you' from Brian.
"Shhh." Came the plea from a snobbish looking woman sitting a few seats down from Daphne.
Brian rolled his eyes in response, but Daphne acted to move towards the woman causing Justin to reach for her arm.
"Let it go, Daph. This actually stresses some people out. Not everyone can be as ready to go as you are." Justin smirked. Daphne was still turned away from him but he could practically feel the glare that Daphne was throwing to the offending couple.
"Fucking prude." Daphne mumbled as she turned her attention back to Justin.
Trying to divert the tension, Justin's eyes once again lit up. "That would be so cool if we ended up having twins. Wait, would they actually be twins?"
"They'd be half-brothers, for sure, but I am not sure about twins. Maybe not technically, but I think since they were 'conceived' at the same time and born at the same time, they might still be considered twins on some level. Ohhh what are we going to name them if they both make it?"
"No rhyming names, that's for sure."
"I vote for Thing 1 and Thing 2." Brian replied evenly, not lifting his gaze from the magazine he was reading. When his statement was met with silence, he glanced up to see Justin and Daphne staring at him with matching looks of amusement. "What? Would you prefer Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb?"
Justin went to speak, his mouth falling open before he chose instead to remain silent. He was relatively sure Brian wasn't serious.
"For Christ's sake, it was a joke."
From his position across from Justin and Daphne, Brian noticed how the couple who seemed to have the same stick up their ass from before, kept glancing suspiciously back and forth between them; as if they were trying to figure out the dynamic between the three adults. From the sour expression covering the woman's face, it was probably safe to assume that she had figured it out and the idea was not met with approval.
The fuck if he cared.
Brian looked pointedly to the woman as he smiled sweetly, noticing the way her hands fidgeted in her lap before she turned back to her husband.
Relieved that Justin and Daphne hadn't noticed the woman's increasingly obvious disapproval as they chatted animatedly, Brian returned to the magazine in his hands.
"Kinney and Chanders?" A nurse called from across the room.
"That would be us." Brian implored, standing up as Daphne jumped out of her chair, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Here we go." Justin breathed in heavily as he slid up to Brian, leaning in to his side as Brian wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulder, placing a quick kiss to his temple.
"Ready Sunshine?"
Daphne walked quickly ahead of them and was standing with the nurse before Brian and Justin had moved a few feet from their seats. As they passed the couple, Brian again noted the disgusted look shadowing the woman's face; leaning down as they passed, Brian whispered. "Lock up your kids, the fags are procreating."
Silencing Justin's imminent questions with his lips, Brian reached down to pinch his husband's ass, reveling in the furious gasp that grew further away as they approached the awaiting nurse.
Daphne shook her head in amusement, having seen the exchange as the nurse struggled to maintain a straight face. "If you'll follow me, I will take you to an exam room where we will discuss what, exactly, will take place during today's procedure." The nurse rattled off as she opened one of the many doors situated down the long hallway, stepping aside as everyone filed in to the small room.
Daphne and Justin sat in the vinyl chairs while Brian opted to remain standing. "The embryologist will be in shortly, but there are a few questions I need to cover beforehand, but if you have any questions of your own, now is the time to ask. Once the process begins, it goes along rather quickly."
"Should one of us be with Daphne while they are doing the procedure?" Justin asked as he scooted up to the edge of his chair, his hands clasped together in his lap.
"That won't be necessary." The nurse smiled kindly at the worried expression that ghosted across the blonde's face. "The extraction itself will only take 15 minutes, besides, that will be when we ask you both to provide your sperm samples, as it is best to retrieve the egg and sperm samples at the same time."
"I'll be fine, Juss. Besides, this is when you two get to have some fun." Daphne exclaimed, a wicked grin curling the edges of her lips as she wiggled her eyebrows knowingly.
"I knew I tagged along on this little outing for something. Things just got a whole lot more interesting." Brian deadpanned from where he stood.
"Normally it would be perfectly acceptable for you both to…how should I put this…help in the process of the retrieval of the sperm. But since you are both giving samples, we will have to ask you to be in separate rooms to eliminate the chances of cross contamination, for purposes of which I am sure you understand." The nurse replied, biting her lip to keep from smiling as the brunette's face fell.
"And I was beginning to like you." Brian replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"We understand." Justin admonished, hooking his finger in the belt loop of Brian's dark slacks, tugging swiftly to get his attention. "He's just kidding."
"Says you!" Brian shot back.
Having seen her fair share of patients over the years, it was not hard for the nurse to pick up on the taller man's nervousness. It was in the way he leaned against the wall as if he was the only thing holding it up; it was in the rigid set of his shoulders. But most of all, it was in how hard he fought to not appear nervous at all.
"Okay boys, all you need to do at this point is provide your samples and then wait for Ms. Chanders to be brought to recovery after the procedure. Once the procedure is finished we will monitor her and wait for the anesthesia to wear off. She should be ready to leave about two hours after the procedure is over. We strongly recommend that someone remains with her for the next 24 hours on the off-chance any complications arise, and she is to not drive or operate any heavy machinery during this time as well." The nurse ticked off the list with the ease of a seasoned professional.
"Hear that Daphne, no tractor racing for you today." Brian exclaimed in a southern accent as Justin poked his finger in to the sensitive flesh of Brian's side where he knew he was the most ticklish, making the brunette jump. "What?"
"Be serious." Justin implored.
A knock sounded at the door as an older woman poked her head in before opening the door all the way. "Gentleman, if you will follow me, we can get your part of the process well underway." Holding her arms out in a gesture for them to follow, Justin stood up from his chair as Brian placed his hand at his back.
Bending down to quickly hug Daphne, Justin waited for Brian who offered a quick wink before they headed for the door.
"Give it your best shot." Both men rolled their eyes at Daphne's choice of words as they followed the nurse deeper into the hallway in the opposite direction from which they entered.
"According to the records you provided, Ms. Chanders, you've only had one other minor surgery before?"
"Yes, I had all my wisdom teeth removed a few years ago."
"Did you have any reaction to the anesthesia that you are aware of?" The nurse asked as she made random notes on the piece of paper that was attached to a clipboard.
"Nothing more than just feeling groggy for the rest of the day."
"Very good. The anesthesiologist, as well as the surgical nurse will ask you a few more questions to make sure all of our information is correct so there will be no surprises during the procedure. I will give a copy of all the post-op instructions as well as warning signs to look for, to the gentlemen who will be accompanying you when you leave today. The doctor will prescribe you some medication; an antibiotic to fight against infection, a hormonal supplement to help strengthen the endometrial lining of your uterus in preparation for the egg transfer, and finally a steroid for inflammation."
Daphne simply nodded her head as she listened intently to the nurse's instructions.
"Things you need to keep an eye out for over the next 24 hours is a temperature of 101 or above, abdominal pain or swelling, persistent nausea and/or vomiting, heavy vaginal bleeding, painful urination, and fainting or dizziness. These side effects are unlikely, but if any arise, please contact us and go to the nearest hospital to be monitored. As I mentioned, the procedure itself will only take 15 minutes, but recovery will last approximately 2 hours. That about does it for me, Ms. Chanders. Do you have any further questions before the surgical nurse and anesthesiologist takes over?"
"Will I be alone when I wake up? How does that work?"
"By the time you wake up, barring any…unforeseen mishaps…your companions from earlier will be with you. I will not be in the room the entire time, but chances are I'll also be there when you wake up. Please do not worry, Ms. Chanders, we do everything we can to make your visits here as comfortable and efficient as possible."
"Thank you."
Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Daphne answered a round of questions before she changed out of her clothes and in to a hospital gown. The same nurse from before helped secure the back of the gown as well as helping to tame Daphne's wild hair within what looked to be a blue shower cap. Lying down on to the bed, Daphne's nerves kicked in when they began to wheel her back towards the operating room. By the time they hooked up her IV and placed her legs in the stirrups she felt like her heart was in her throat.
The surgical nurse that she had talked to briefly patted her arm reassuringly as she gently placed the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. All Daphne could see of the woman under the hair cap and surgical mask was her eyes that seemed to smile down softly at the young woman. "You're doing a beautiful thing, Ms. Chanders. Let us worry about everything else, you just relax and count backwards from 10."
With a forced nod of her head, Daphne started counting; trying to ignore the bitter taste on her tongue from whatever the mixture was that was pumping in to her mouth. "10…9…"
Everything went black.
[o][o][o][o][o]
"What were you thinking about when you were in there? This was far different from when I gave the goods up for Gus." Brian implored as he and Justin sat in the recovery room. Daphne had been brought back over 45 minutes earlier and seemed to be no closer to consciousness than when they wheeled her in.
"You! Who do you think?" Justin laughed; leaning as close to Brian as the single chairs they occupied would allow him. He had been surprised to find that working himself up adequately enough to provide his sample had been a lot less difficult in the sterile environment than he had thought it would be.
Then again, he had yet to find a place where this proved a problem when his thoughts naturally drifted to his husband; as they always seemed to do.
"What about you? Who were you thinking about?" Justin asked, running his finger lightly across Brian's jawline, then slowly down his neck.
A trail of goose bumps followed the path of his fingers as he grinned knowing that no matter how hard Brian often tried to control his responses to Justin's machinations, at times, his body often betrayed his thoughts.
"What a coincidence," Brian trailed off as he turned to ghost his lips over his husband's, waiting as Justin's tongue cautiously peeked out to wet his lips in anticipation, "I was thinking about me, too."
Pulling back slightly, Brian grinned when Justin huffed in protest. "Asshole!"
"You two get worse with age." Daphne mumbled as both men quickly looked to the semi-conscious woman.
Justin jumped up to stand beside the bed, grabbing Daphne's hand as he looked her over once again, making sure everything seemed to be in proper order.
"I prefer to think of us as a fine wine. Just gets better with age." Standing beside Justin, Brian, too, looked over their young friend. "Any pain?"
"Not really, just disoriented as fuck." Daphne groaned, gripping her head with her free hand as Justin occupied the other.
Brian nodded before he left the room to let the nurse know Daphne had woken up.
"So, how much did you hear?" Justin asked nervously as he bit his bottom lip.
"You two are insatiable. Only you guys could turn something so clinical in to some sort of erotic game. The fact that you both are hot saves you from a lot of grief from me." Daphne lamely attempted to smile just as Brian returned with the nurse following close behind.
"Everything looks good Ms. Chanders. We've been monitoring you since you came in to recovery and there haven't been any problems." The nurse smile a she removed the blood pressure cuff from Daphne's arm and the monitor from her index finger. "We'll keep you for another 30 minutes or so to come out of the anesthesia a little more and then you will be free to leave."
Looking to Justin and Brian, the nurse handed Justin a small stack of papers. "These are her Post-Operative Discharge Instructions as well as her prescriptions and information on the warning signs to look for to indicate anything may be wrong, at which point you are to take her directly to the hospital and contact us. We ask that she abstain from sexual intercourse for a week to reduce the risk of infection, but other than that, after the initial 24 hours, there aren't any further restrictions. There is a number on the papers that you may call tomorrow to talk to the embryologist and within two days they will be able to tell you if the eggs are properly fertilized or not. If everything goes without a hitch, we will call you in about five days to set up the date and time for the embryo transfer."
Justin nodded his head as the realities of the day were starting to fully sink in.
Daphne struggled to keep her mind focused on the nurse's words. She was glad that Justin and Brian were both with her because there would have been no way she would be able to remember all of this on her own.
"Are there any other questions?"
"I think we are all set." Justin nodded as he looked to Daphne and back to the nurse.
"Very good. Someone will be in shortly with Ms. Chanders' clothing and personal items; if neither of you are comfortable with helping her dress, I can come back to assist. Once she is dressed you will be free to leave at any time."
"Thank you." Brian said with a short nod from his position at the other side of the room.
"You're welcome. And in case I don't see you when you come back for the transfer; good luck!" The nurse winked as she softly shut the door. She decided she really liked this odd trio and hoped, more than she normally allowed herself to, that everything worked out for them in the future.