Here you go, ReSch!

Note: I'm not a medical expert, but I tried to keep it accurate. Please forgive me if there is any incorrect information...it's a show about magical rings that summon a superhero...suspend your factual expectations for the sake of the story. ;) And keep in mind this isn't set in present time.

"I'll be honest Ms. Kovaleva, the majority of my patients are women who have been trying for some time to get pregnant and then come here to find out why they are having difficulties. How did you come to find out you could not have children? Have you and your fiancé been trying?"

"Umm, nyet, we have not been trying. I was told when I was younger. Having been so close to Chernobyl, word started to spread that it was negatively affecting women. More and more started to see doctors to be checked out. I saw a doctor when I was maybe 13 or 14. They said I had no viable ovum. At the time, it really did not hit me. I was still a child myself; I was not even thinking about having children of my own back then…then recently…"

"You got engaged and started thinking about having a family?" Dr. Slater presumes.

"Uh, da…that and seeing friends starting their own families."

"And you have been to other consultants recently who have not given you any good news?"

"That is correct. I went to a clinic in London that was supposed to be one of the best in the world. After they told me no, I thought that was it for me…I did not think I would bother looking any further, but then we came to New York to visit with…my fiancé's family. We started wondering if we should look for other places in the States since maybe they would have different methods of treatment or clinical studies. This place popped up on our search and since we were so close, we decided to give it a try."

"I'm glad you did. From what I've heard, there are still options that haven't been explored. They told you that you had no viable ovum…that's a pretty broad statement, unless they have tested EVERY single one, which is impossible. I am going to put you on a hormone treatment regimen, and this is where your fiancé comes in…you will be injecting Linka."

"I can do it myself," she says.

"Generally, it's easier if someone else does it for you. The injections go in the buttocks. Hard to maneuver."

Linka begins thinking of all the ways that she can indeed handle the injections herself because she can't possibly expect Wheeler to do that. She's flexible. Surely, she can do it.

"Don't worry Doctor…Linka is always saying what a pain in the ass I am…I can handle this task!"

"Ok, well here's what I'm planning…we will do the hormone injections and then harvest some eggs. We will see if any of them are viable. If not, we keep trying. If after 5 attempts, we haven't managed to find any eggs that work, then we re-evaluate our options if you still wish to continue. Sound good?"

"Da, it is a start…and more than anyone else has been willing to try," she says.

"Great. Alright Dad, you can do your part now. We will run some tests and make sure there is nothing wrong with your sample because if we can manage to find a viable egg, we want the best chance, so if for any reason we find that your count is low, we may have to consider other options for impregnating Linka."

Neither one of them had ever thought that would be a possibility, and that must have been evident on their faces.

"That is ok, isn't it?" Dr. Slater asks. "If you want to get pregnant by any means necessary, we need the best options."

"Uh, yeah, of course…whatever is best for Linka."

"It will be fine, Yankee. There is no reason to think that you will not be my best option."

"She's right. You're young, you're in your prime. I'm sure you're fine. I was just putting it out there as a possibility so that you had all the information."

"Ok, yeah…I get it."

"If you want to wait here, I can get you some instructions and the specimen cup."

"Uh, no need for the instructions…I'm a pro."

He makes the same joke that he made in Russia when Blight's assistant instructed him to provide a sample, but Linka wasn't around to hear it.

Linka and the doctor are shocked by his bluntness. The doctor found it amusing and laughed,

"Hate to break it to you, but later in the process, you'll have to refrain from solo activities and sex because we'll need a higher concentration of sperm to increase the chances of implantation."

"Well, at least we've got the 'no sex' part covered," Wheeler jokes.

Linka was mortified and her cheeks were bright red and once the doctor leaves, she lets him have it.

"Bozhe moy, Wheeler! Must you?!"

"What?! He's a guy. He's been my age once. He knows!"

"Da, but I did not need to know!"

"Are you really that naïve?! You're a smart girl Linka…you gotta know what guys do."

"I do not want to think about it!" But she is thinking about it now. If he's a 'pro,' who is he thinking about? That bimbo actress, Bambi Blight? Some other similarly buxom beauty? Her? That last possibility is not as disturbing as she expected it would be. She can feel her cheeks reddening.

The doctor returns and sets the cup on the table in front of Wheeler.

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room. Do you need anything? Magazines, videos…?"

"Can she come with me?" He jokes, thoroughly enjoying teasing her.

"WHEELER!" Have her suspicions just been confirmed?

"Generally, not something that typically happens, but no one is going to stop her from going into that room after you get settled in," Dr. Slater says, playing along.

"Great, I'll see ya in five minutes, Babe," Wheeler says with a wink.

"Do not hold your breath!" She huffs.

Four months have passed since Linka and Wheeler first met with Dr. Slater. They stayed a few more days to visit with his grandparents and agreed to dinner with his parents, which actually went surprisingly well. Even they noticed that Betty had been doing better. They attributed it to Wheeler being around and him and Linka keeping her engaged in meaningful conversation. Wheeler and Linka had another theory, but they did not share that theory with anyone else. They did however, go online and set up a delivery schedule to have bottles of water shipped periodically. Despite his initial skepticism, Don could not argue the change he has seen in his wife since Wheeler and Linka first shared their "miracle water."

Seeing the good that came of Betty's condition, Linka decided to also keep giving it a chance. Since their first trip to the IVF clinic, Linka has been taking fertility drugs. And yes, she gave in and admitted that it was difficult for her to inject herself. She did not have any problems reaching, it was actually sticking herself that was giving her trouble. She'd keep hesitating. Wheeler on the other hand, had no problems. As a matter of fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in giving her a jab in the butt. It amused him.

If the others noticed she was more emotional than usual, they didn't mention it. They did notice that Wheeler seemed to be much more understanding when she had an outburst than he had been in the past. Instead of arguing with her, he just let her go. He didn't hold it against her, and he forgave her rather quickly when normally he'd sulk for days. Gi had tried pressing Linka for answers, wondering if perhaps their trip had changed their relationship status. Linka denied it and Gi dropped the subject when her friend started to cry. Ma-Ti, who was emotionally in tune with his teammates, felt like he was on the same emotional rollercoaster as Linka any time they were in close proximity, so he found himself distancing himself from his Russian teammate. Kwame flat out asked Wheeler what was going on between him and Linka. The Fire Planeteer played it off and told Kwame that during their trip, things changed between them, but denied they were in a relationship. They'd just had more practice dealing with each other and their quirks. Kwame wasn't certain that Wheeler was being completely honest with him, but he didn't press it.

Each month, Wheeler and Linka had traveled back to New York to visit his grandparents and went to the clinic to have some of her eggs harvested. Dr. Slater had been so interested in her case, he even offered to take it on free of charge in the hopes of finding an effective treatment and writing a case study on it. This was a huge relief to Linka because she had exhausted much of her funds during her and Wheeler's travels and this procedure can typically cost at least $12,000.

The first three attempts produced no viable eggs. As Wheeler and Linka wait for Dr. Slater to return with the results of the fourth attempt, Wheeler is pacing the room while Linka sits quietly and absentmindedly flipping through a magazine. When Dr. Slater comes back, Wheeler stops in his tracks and Linka closes the magazine she wasn't really reading.

"Ok, I have a question."

"What is it, Doctor? Is everything ok?" Linka worries.

"When is the wedding date?"

"Uh, we haven't set it yet. Why?" Wheeler asks.

"I was just wondering if you would like to be pregnant before or after the wedding…"

"Wha-?!"

"Do you mean…you found a viable egg?!" Linka asks hopefully.

"Better than that…two."

"Alright!" Wheeler exclaims, hugging Linka and twirling her around.

"Yankee! Put me down!" She giggles.

He does as she asks, but doesn't let her go, keeping his arm around her and placing a kiss on the side of her head.

The doctor allows them their moment of joy before proceeding.

"Now let me be clear…this is not a guarantee that the insemination will work. I don't want to rain on your parade and don't misunderstand, I'm thrilled that we were able to find some viable eggs. And Jason, as we discussed when we first started this process, your previous sample had a very high count. Healthy and active."

"I don't even wanna picture that!" Wheeler grimaces. "But I'm damn proud!"

Linka elbows him playfully.

"At least they are not as lazy as you!" She says with a laugh before turning serious and asking, "So doctor, what do you recommend? Sooner rather than later?"

"It's really up to you. If you'd rather wait until after the wedding, we can freeze the eggs and wait until you two decide you are ready to start a family. Maybe you'd like to enjoy being newlyweds for awhile before adding kids to the mix. I've got another appointment in a few minutes. I'll give you two some time to talk it over and make a decision."

"You need an answer now?" Wheeler asks.

"Well, I need to know what to do with the eggs. I don't want to take any risks with these ones."

"In your opinion, is it best to do it as soon as possible?" Linka asks.

"I wouldn't want to risk it. They are so delicate. Normally freezing wouldn't concern me but with you…"

"Sounds like we don't really need to think about it then?" Wheeler says.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk it over. I'll be back in a half hour or so."

After the doctor leaves, Wheeler turns to Linka and asks,

"So what are you thinkin' Babe?"

"My mind is racing. This is what I had been hoping for, but now that it is happening, I am terrified. Plus, I still do not want to get my hopes up. There is still a lot that must be done to make it work…and a lot that can go wrong."

He wraps his arms around her and tucks her head under his chin.

"Just gotta take it one step at a time. Take a deep breath." She does as he says, and he inhales as well. Then he exhales. "And let it out."

"This is really happening," she whispers.

"The only question is when…I mean, if you wanna do it now, we can always move the wedding up so you'll still fit in your dress…"

She pulls back to look at him with a shocked expression on her face.

"That's what we can tell the doctor our plans are anyway."

The look of relief and eye roll she gives him before leaning back into him are disappointing to him.

"Did you secretly want to be an actor when you were a child? You are taking this husband 'role' very seriously."

"It's an easy part to play," he admits honestly.

"Do you think I should talk to Gaia and the others about this? It is something that will affect us all."

"It affects you the most. I don't think you need to clear it with anyone. This is your life. Only you can decide what you want to do next," Wheeler tells her. "So, what's it gonna be?"

She pulls back and looks up at him, looking him right in the eyes.

"I want to do it. Now. As soon as possible."

"Then that's what we'll tell the doctor when he comes back."

Now that the decision has been made, there isn't much more to say. Linka has taken a seat and Wheeler has taken the one beside her. He rests his arm across the back of her chair and without any reservation, she leans into his side.

"Thank you for being here."

"Of course," he says as he removes his arm from the chair and puts it around her shoulders.

Dr. Slater enters ten minutes later, and they both stand and approach him.

"Sorry, that took a little longer than expected. First time moms…they can be a handful," he jokes. "So…are you ready to join that club?"

"Da…Yes."

"Timeframe? Before or after the wedding?"

"As soon as possible."

"Ok, so here's what's going to happen next. Your eggs are currently in an IVF culture medium to await insemination. We're going to get another sample from Jason and one of my assistants is going to determine which sperm is the most motile..."

"Excuse me, what?" Wheeler asks.

"The best swimmers, in laymen's terms."

"Oh," he replies, slightly blushing.

"They will then be added to the eggs in the incubator. In a few hours, the sperm will have penetrated the egg and fertilized it. Tomorrow, I'll have a look at it to confirm fertilization."

"When will they be ready to be…implanted?"

"We can do it after one day, but I'd like to hold off two to three days to observe and make sure the development is normal. Will that work for you? Will you still be in the area?"

"We'll make it work. Whatever you need us to do, we'll do it," Wheeler says.

"You will be implanting both of them?"

"Yes."

"Soooo, she could have twins?" Wheeler asks.

"Potentially…but sometimes only one will take…or none…are you prepared for twins? Is that going to be a problem? If they both take, we can select…"

"Nyet! It is fine…whatever happens…it is fine."

"Right," Wheeler says, putting his arm around her waist. "Twins would be cool."

"Alright then. Jason, once you've done your part, you two are free to go. You can stay here as long as you'd like if you want to discuss what I've just gone over. Call me with any questions."

"Thank you, Doctor," Linka says as she shakes his hand.

"Yeah Doc, thank you so much…this is the best news ever," Wheeler adds, also shaking his hand.

"You're welcome. It's not over yet…but this is encouraging considering that the last place you went to said there was no chance. Now we have a chance. I'm going to go make some babies. On your way out, stop at the front desk to make an appointment for Thursday. We'll do the insemination then if we end up with fertilized eggs."

"Ok."

Once the doctor leaves, Linka turns to Wheeler, falls into his arms, and beings sobbing, happy tears for once.

He holds her tight and kisses the top of her head.

"You're gonna be a mom, Babe," he whispers, while he thinks to himself. And I'm gonna be a dad!

To Be Continued…