It feels good to be back home and in our daily routines. Now that the shipping deal is done, the pressure has eased up considerably at the office, at least for now. I'm still riding herd on my staff, though, since I want initial operations to be as smooth as possible.
Ana's work is the usual organized chaos. Two book releases were on hold while she was gone so now production has ramped up for them. She's working late but only by an hour or so each day, not the nine p.m. or midnight marathons she did last month.
Via various emails and texts, we've decided on a Labor Day barbecue at my parents' place on Monday afternoon. They're due to arrive back home on Saturday so they should be recovered by then. The kids and their partners will take care of everything, allowing my parents to sit back and enjoy.
I haven't had any nightly interruptions since we've returned. I'm more convinced than ever that what happened was some sort of technical trickery. Taylor's hunch that a worker on the renovation crew might be my sperm donor only lends more credence to this theory. Ana and I don't see eye to eye on this and Taylor's more or less remaining neutral. He's still working on tracking down more information on Larry Sordo. I suspect he won't find very much but Taylor's nothing if not thorough.
Friday morning arrives and Ana and I are both looking forward to the three day weekend. We've decided that no matter the crisis, we'll leave work by five, earlier if we can. I'm putting on my cufflinks in the bedroom when I hear a shriek from the bathroom. "NOOOOOOO!" Ana is screaming and her voice is like a knife in my heart. I drop everything and dash to her side.
As soon as I see her I know immediately what's wrong. She's standing in the bathroom in just her bra and there's blood on her thighs. She leans against the counter with one hand and puts the other one over her mouth to stifle her sobs. I grab her immediately and wrap my arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
"It's okay, babe, it's okay," I murmur over and over as I hug her tightly, trying as best as I can to comfort her, even though I also feel a sense of loss and frustration. I pull her over to the bench by the wall and sit down, taking her on my lap. She curls up closely, almost as if she's trying to disappear into me. I start rocking her, waiting for her to start talking about how she feels and if she doesn't want to talk, that's fine, too; I'll sit here and rock her forever.
Finally, her weeping subsides enough for her to speak. "I thought for sure we did it this time," she stutters, the words coming out in little hiccups.
"I know, baby, I did, too," I whisper, rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her. "But we'll keep trying. It'll happen; I know it will. Maybe not this month or the next but it will."
"I feel like such a failure," she sniffles and my hackles rise immediately.
"You are not a failure!" I admonish her, "For all we know, my swimmers are the problem."
"Oh, Christian, I'm sure your swimmers are just fine. My stupid eggs are probably all dried up."
"Ana, your eggs are neither dried up nor stupid. It's way too early to think there's anything wrong with either of us."
"Then why can't we make a baby?" she wails, "I was positive I was pregnant. You were so set on a conception in South Africa."
"I know, babe, or at least one over the Atlantic at thirty thousand feet," I chuckle, "But if we conceive right here in our bedroom, that's fine by me. Or even if we never conceive again, we have Teddy. Siblings are overrated anyway."
She raises her head and looks at me. "Christian, you know you love your brother and sister."
"If you say so." I look at her askance.
"Besides," she continues, "I don't want him to be an only child like me."
Now I'm getting annoyed; I thought we'd gotten past all these insecurities. "Ana, there is nothing wrong with you being an only child. If Teddy ends up the same way, there'll be nothing wrong with him either. And we can always adopt, just like my parents did."
She relaxes a little. "I suppose. I'm just so baffled as to why it's taking so long."
"Well, we both have high-pressure jobs. Stress affects so many things with our bodies; this could be one of them."
"Well, I think we should see the doctor and have her run some tests."
Oh, boy, I think she's overreacting but I don't want to tell her that. "Tell you what, if it doesn't happen this month, then yes, we'll go see Doctor Greene and see what she says. Deal?"
"All right," she answers, somewhat reluctantly. She stands up and a look of horror appears on her face. "Oh no! Christian, I got blood all over your pants! Shit!"
I look down and she's right, there's blood all over my pants leg where she was sitting. Big deal. I stand up and, with arms akimbo, chide her, "Anastasia, have you seen my closet? All I have to do is pick another suit. I'm more concerned about you. Will you be okay?" I cup her jaw with my right hand and rub my thumb along her cheek. She looks up at me, tears still on her face.
"I will," she nods.
"Good!" I take off my pants and go to the sink to wipe away the blood that seeped through to my thigh. "Let's get going so we can finish our work day early like we planned."
"Okay," she responds as she takes off her bra and steps into the shower.
Monday afternoon arrives in a flash and I really can't say how. As planned, we started our weekend early on Friday and spent Saturday and Sunday doing the most mundane things, just my wife and my son and I but somehow it just went by so quickly. We took walks, we went sailing, we even had a date night (saw Elysium, which I thought was the biggest waste of my time but at least we made out during it, so I guess it was worth it after all).
The steaks smell wonderful as Elliot and I tend to them. Kate and Ana are preparing the side dishes while mom keeps Teddy occupied. Dad tends bar and Ray keeps him company. Mia and Ethan are mooning over each other as they set the table. The weather is perfect, warm enough to dress lightly and still be comfortable. Everything looks to be perfect for this unofficial end of summer gathering.
Sitting around the table once the steaks are done, the conversation flows easily. My parents talk about their visits to Hong Kong and Hawaii; Ana and I fill everyone in on our South African trip. Even Teddy's gurgling happily as he sits between Kate and Mia and they take turns feeding him.
My dad and I are in a side conversation about the shipping deal when Elliot stands up and taps his wine glass with a fork. Whoa, what's this all about?
"If I could just have a moment of your time, ladies and gentlemen," he starts out, "I'd like to make an important announcement." He takes Kate's hand and continues, "Some time in the middle of next March, Kate and I will become the parents of a baby girl." There's a collective gasp and a squee from Mia.
Everyone starts talking to Kate at once but I look at Ana next to me and see that she's struggling to hold back tears. I put my arm around her shoulder and extend my congratulations my brother and his wife. Kate looks at Ana and with a note of concern asks, "Are you okay, Ana? You look like you're going to cry."
With perfect finesse, Ana smiles and chokingly says, "I'm just so happy for you two!" I lightly rub her shoulder as I think to myself, well played. My heart is breaking for both of us but it's also so full of love for her at this moment.
Later on, after our meal, everyone spreads out, with the women mostly clustering around Kate. My dad, Ray, and Ethan are talking sports when I notice Elliot wandering off in the direction of the bay. Seizing the opportunity to talk to him alone, I follow him. He probably wants to be by himself but if I'm really intruding, he'll tell me to fuck off. He's never been shy about that sort of thing.
"Hey, Lelliot!" I call, "Wait up!" He stops and turns around; he waits for me to catch up so that's a good sign.
"You okay, bro?" I ask when I'm closer; seems like I'm asking that question an awful lot lately. We continue walking and stop at the jetty. He's taking his time answering me.
"I guess," he finally says unconvincingly. I think I know what this is about.
"Impending fatherhood got you worried?"
He looks at me, eyes wide. "Scared shitless" is his whispered response.
"Dude!" I have to stifle a chuckle, it's so funny to see my happy-go-lucky brother in this state of mind. "It's really not that bad."
"So you're telling me you weren't scared when you found out?"
"Actually, no," I lower my voice conspiratorially, "When I found out, I was fucking pissed. At least you and Kate have had time to be a couple but Teddy was an 'oops' and we weren't prepared for it at all."
"Yeah, Kate mentioned something about that at the time but I didn't pay much attention to it. I was too busy counting the months when he was born 'cuz I thought you guys had to get married."
"Yeah, well, we didn't. And my anger quickly disappeared when all that shit happened with Mia and Jack Hyde. Suddenly, there was nothing I wanted more than my wife and baby to be healthy and safe."
"Well, you certainly seem to have settled into your daddy role pretty well."
"Hey, I won't lie to you, it's not always easy. But so many times when I look at him I have to stop and ask myself how something so wonderful could come from the end of my dick."
This brings a loud guffaw from him. "Dude, you are a true poet! If you ever write a book about fatherhood you can start with that line!"
"I know, right?" At least I lightened his mood a bit. "Don't stress about it, you'll be fine." Of course I can't imagine my brother with a daughter but I don't tell him that. And now it's time for a change of subject.
"Say, would you be interested in another project at our house?"
"Depends, how big of a project? If you want to tear down and rebuild, it'd have to wait until next year."
"No, nothing that big. Ana and I got some ideas in South Africa that we'd like to implement. Kind of a cross between a solarium and a conservatory. It'd be away from the house, on the other side of the property. It's in the concept stage right now but if you can arrange it during the next month or so, that would be great."
"Let me check. If you're not in a rush, it should be doable but I'll have to see what we've got coming up. Let's talk some more later in the week. We should be getting back. I've got a pregnant wife to look after."
"Yes, you do. And Ana and the baby and I should be heading home."
As we walk he talks about the other worry he has, namely, Kate. He's heard so many stories about how women change after childbirth and he's worried about how their relationship will go. I can't help much in that area; after all, every woman and every relationship is different but I do my best to encourage him. Things will be different, no doubt about it, but as long as they communicate with each other they can work through anything. That was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn.
Right before we join the family he turns to me and says, "Thanks for listening, man. I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad we're brothers."
"Dude, any time," is all I can reply. And I'm thinking that one way or another, Teddy will have a sibling.