Hope for all- chapter 5
Monday morning came all too early in the Bower-Micelli home. Tony was up early as usual. After a brisk run through the neighborhood and a quick shower, he was downstairs packing lunches and making breakfast. Jonathan and Samantha begrudgingly entered the kitchen, both still tired from their busy weekends.
"Good morning kids!" said Tony. "Morning Tony" "Morning Dad" grumbled both Jonathan and Samantha. "Ohhh I can feel the energy in the room! Today's gonna be a great day!" Tony practically shouted as he put his arms around the kids.
"Good morning everyone! How are we all doing this morning?" asked Angela. Both kids only responded with mumbled responses. "A little too much fun for these two this weekend I think Angela. Their poor teachers!" laughed Tony.
Angela laughed and sat down to sip her coffee and juice. "Well, I'm guessing it will be early to bed for both of you tonight" said Angela.
The family ate their breakfast mostly in silence. Every so often, Tony and Angela would catch each other staring at one another and give each other a quick smile. Since Friday night's impromptu make out session on the couch, the electricity between them had only gotten stronger. If Samantha or Jonathan had been even half awake at the table, they would have noticed the unusual and undoubtedly strong displays of affectionate glances between their parents.
"Okay kids, time to head off to school" said Tony. Grumbles were again the only answers as they both dragged themselves out the back door.
"Tony, I have my one-on-one consultation appointment this afternoon. I'm not sure what time I'll be home so if you could save me dinner, it would be appreciated" said Angela.
"Of course Angela. Do… do you want me to come with you?" asked Tony.
"No it's ok Tony. I can do this by myself… but if you are not too tired tonight, maybe we can talk about it over tea?" asked Angela.
Tony walked over to Angela and took her hands in his. "Of course. I'll have the kettle all set up"said Tony. He started to slowly move in to kiss Angela, when Mona burst through the back door, causing both Angela and Tony to jump back.
"Good morning Tony… Angela. How are we all doing this morning?" Mona quipped sarcastically. "Don't stop on my account. Please, do continue where you left off.." smirked Mona.
"Mother! Let's go. We are going to be late for work and I need to leave work early for my consultation this afternoon. Thank you Tony for saving dinner for me. See you tonight" Angela said as she grabbed her things, ignoring Mona's inquisitive glance at her and headed out the door.
Tony quickly got to work clearing off the table to try and avoid Mona's accusatory stare and inevitable questions.
"Mona, aren't you going with Angela? You're going to be late!" Tony practically shouted nervously.
"Yes, I better get going. You know how Angela hates to be kept waiting… Looking forward to dinner tonight. Good food, good company, good… conversation perhaps?" Mona said slyly as she walked out the back door.
Tony slumped down into the chair, running his hands through his hair. "What are you doing Micelli? You've turned into a hormonal teenager over here! Get it together!" Tony admonished himself as he finished cleaning up the kitchen, grabbed his school books and headed out the door.
Later that afternoon, Angela was walking up to the Hope for All clinic, lost in her own thoughts again. "I should have let him come with me. Why can't I be honest with him about what I need from him? How I feel about him?" Angela thought to herself.
"Well here goes nothing…" she said out loud to no one.
After signing in and being giving a small mountain of paperwork to complete, Angela was drawn to a collage of photographs on the wall. There must have been over 100 babies with their parents and the medical team from the clinic. So many smiling faces, so much hope and joy. Angela couldn't help but smile, releasing some of the tension and anxiety she was harboring.
"Angela Bower?" said a nurse from the opened waiting room door. Angela grabbed her things and walked back to a small office door. Dr. Greene was busy at his desk when Angela walked in.
"Hello Ms. Bower. Please take a seat" said Dr. Greene.
"So I've reviewed your paperwork and medical files. You are in great physical health and despite your age, I am quite hopeful that you will get pregnant within the first six months. Have you decided which procedure you think you would try first?" asked Dr. Greene.
"Well I… I'm not exactly sure. I'd like to go with the most minimally invasive procedure if possible. I believe that would be the insemination, correct?" asked Angela.
"Yes that is correct. I would recommend we try that as well. The success rate is lower than IVF, but assuming all your other tests come back normal, there's no reason to think it wouldn't be successful. Have you thought about utilizing a sperm bank or do you have a partner who is willing to contribute?" said Dr. Greene.
If Angela could have crawled under the table right then and there, she would have. Trying to control her increasing pulse and breathing, as well as her reddening face, Angela mustered the strength to answer his question. "Actually, I have thought about it and there's someone I would love to ask, but our relationship is complicated. I really don't know… but maybe I should explore a sperm bank. How… how do I go about that process?" questioned Angela.
"We are in partnership with one of the leading sperm banks in the city. We have their information here and can provide you with their contact information as well as a questionnaire for your preferences in a donor for your baby. They can answer any further questions you might have" said Dr. Greene.
"I would like to get you started with some blood work today, followed up by the HSG, mapping of the uterus and internal sonogram appointments. I would advise you to have someone here with you for the HSG test as it can be a bit painful for some women afterwards. Assuming all the tests come back normal, we will proceed with the insemination plan the first day of your next period, post testing. The nurses will go over with you all the instructions and medications to be administered. Do you have someone who is willing to give you the daily injections when the time comes?" asked Dr. Greene.
"My family said they'd be willing to help and support me through this process" said Angela. "I just hope they truly meant what they said" thought Angela.
"Okay then. See the receptionist on your way out. She will schedule the appointments for you and provide you with the information for the sperm bank. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of our staff" said Dr. Greene as he shook her hand and escorted her out of his office.
Angela was taken to a room to have her blood drawn. Afterwards, she followed up with the receptionist and made all the necessary appointments. She'd have to start working on the weekends again for all the missed time from work, she thought begrudgingly to herself as she walked out the main doors.
"Tonight is going to be the night. I have to speak to Tony. I have to ask him. What if he says no? What if he looks at me like I've lost my mind? What… what if he says yes?" Angela thought to herself as she walked down the streets of Manhattan towards the train station. The last thought put a smile on her face as she entered the station to head home.
"Dinner was great Tony! Too bad Mom missed it!" said Jonathan. "I saved her a plate so when she gets home, she will eat. Can you two help clear the table? I've got a lot of homework I need to tackle this evening" said Tony.
"Angela's been really busy lately. The agency must be doing really well" said Samantha as she picked up the plates to put them in the sink.
"Yes she has been and the agency is doing really well. I anticipate her being very busy over the next few weeks or even months, wouldn't you say Tony?" smiled Mona.
"She's always busy Mona. Hopefully not too many late nights. So who wants to wash and who wants to dry?" asked Tony.
"I'm feeling generous this evening. Sam, Jonathan… take the night off. I'll do the dishes for you" said Mona.
All three sets of eyes stared at Mona and all three mouths dropped open simultaneously. "What? I can't do something out of the kindness of my own heart?" said Mona.
"Umm… sure Grandma!" "Thanks Mona!" said both Jonathan and Samantha as they hugged Mona and headed into the living room.
"Nice one Mona. I'm holding you to your 'offer' because there's a lot I want to get done before Angela gets back and I have to heat up her dinner" said Tony.
"There looked like a lot of things were being heated up in here this morning, the least of all food…" Mona quipped. "Okay now dish it Micelli! The amount of electricity flowing between you two is normally enough to light up a small city, but these past few weeks and especially this weekend, have taken it to an all new extreme."
"Mona! Nothing is going on. Yes, well maybe Angela and I have become closer recently. How could we not when what's going to happen is well going to happen? We are talking about adding a new baby into the family. So we have been talking about it. That's it" said Tony as he finished clearing off the table.
"So you are on board with Angela doing this? Have you talked about your involvement in all this? Because if you think your role is just as the housekeeper, think again bub. She's already leaning on you and it's only going to get worse as this process goes on. Have you thought about who's going to be giving her the daily injections? Because if you think I'm doing it, think again. So that leaves just one person…" said Mona.
Tony sat down in the chair, not believing his legs would hold out for the rest of this conversation. He stared at his hands for a long moment until he answered. "Look, we still have a lot to discuss I guess. Regardless, I said I would support her in this and I meant it. If she needs me to be the one to do the injections, then I will be. I mean I might pass out the first time but after that it should be a piece of cake" joked Tony.
"I see. So how far does your support go? Does it go far enough to, how do I say this delicately… offer up your swimmers?" asked Mona.
Tony was in the process of taking a sip of his water, when he heard Mona's question and nearly choked on it.
"Ah ha! So the thought has crossed your mind! I knew it! This whole idea just got immeasurably better now that I'm picturing my grandchild with olive skin, dark wavy hair and your eyes…" smiled Mona.
"Mona! This conversation is over! I need to get things done and you have a sink full of dishes to clean!" said Tony as he headed to the living room.
If he had been walking any faster, he would have bumped into a spying Jonathan and Samantha, who both managed to run to the sofa and pretend to be engaged in their homework by the time Tony walked through the swinging door.
"If you need me, I'll be in my room studying. Let me know when Angela gets back okay?" said Tony as he bolted up the stairs.
As soon as Tony was out earshot, Samantha and Jonathan made a beeline straight into the kitchen to talk to Mona about what they overheard.
"Okay Mona we need to talk, right now!" said Samantha. "Is my mom having a baby?" said Jonathan.
"Oh dear. Eavesdropping I take it?" questioned Mona.
"Umm well… yeah, maybe kinda… but don't change the subject! What's going on here?" said Samantha.
"Look kids, this isn't my place to say what is and isn't going on. When the time is right, Angela and Tony will talk to you both okay? In the meantime, what I will tell you is that there are some big changes happening in this family. Changes that are going to impact each of us. Trust me though, it's going to be okay" said Mona.
"If you say so Mona. Just tell us one thing. Is Angela pregnant?" said Samantha.
"No… no she is not pregnant. Okay you two… either get back to homework or take over these dishes I so kindly offered to do for both of you!" said Mona as both kids headed back into the living room.
It was almost 8pm when Angela walked in the door. "Hi sweethearts! How were your days?" Angela said to the kids as they watched television. Both Samantha and Jonathan looked at one another with a look of a deer caught in the headlights. Samantha was the first one to recover and gave Jonathan a quick look with the meaning to keep it cool. "Hi Angela! How are you? Oh my day was great! We finished our homework and Dad said we could watch some television before bed" Samantha rambled nervously.
"Well that's good" laughed Angela as she squeezed Samantha's shoulder. "How about you Jonathan?" asked Angela. "Me? Oh my day was great too! I got an A on my math test and at lunch, Steven and I made the mayonnaise packets shoot over four feet!" said Jonathan.
"That's wonderful about your math test sweetheart and umm congratulations on the mayonnaise?" said Angela. "I'm starved! I'll be in the kitchen reheating the leftovers if you need me."
A few moments later, Tony came down the stairs into the living room. "Did I hear Angela?" said Tony. "Yes Tony, she's in the kitchen having dinner" said Jonathan.
"Okay you two, turn that off and start getting ready for bed. I'll be up later to check up on you. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen" said Tony as he walked through the swinging door.
"Should we eavesdrop again?" whispered Jonathan. "No. I think we've pushed our limits for today. Mona said they would talk to us when they are ready and we just have to wait I guess. C'mon kid, let's head upstairs before I change my mind!" said Samantha.
Angela had just finished reheating the leftovers when Tony came through the door. "Hey Angela! I would have done that for you!" said Tony.
"Hi Tony. It's okay- believe it or not, I can actually use the microwave. I mean if it was the stove or oven, that would be another story" Angela said sarcastically.
"Eh oh, oh eh! You've come along way in the kitchen! I mean, you're no Julia Child, but you've got potential!" said Tony.
"You don't have to sugar coat it Tony. I'm well aware my only domestic quality is that I live in a house…" joked Angela.
"An-ge-la!" Tony yelled, trying to sound harsh, but ending up laughing along with her.
"So how was your appointment? Did they tell you anymore information or when you can start?" Tony asked.
"It went well. They took some bloodwork and I was able to schedule a lot of the preliminary testing, including that HSG test they talked about. There are so many tests and appointments I'm going to have to take time off of work for that I'm going to probably need to start working some weekends again" said Angela.
"Whatever you need to do, but just make sure you're not overdoing it. You're gonna need plenty of rest. Is that HS… something or another the one he said would hurt?" Tony asked with a look of concern on his face.
"Yes it is. He suggested I have someone come with me and pick me up as some women find it a bit painful during and afterwards. I scheduled it at the clinic for next Wednesday. I… I know that's your off day from school and I was wondering if… if maybe you could meet me there and take me home?" Angela asked ever so softly.
"Of course Angela. I will meet you there before the appointment and stay until your done. I can drive in so you can rest up on the way home" said Tony.
A soft smile appeared on Angela's face as she reached across the table to grab one of Tony's hands. "Thank you Tony, I really appreciate it. There's… something else I talked about today with the doctor. We decided to go with the artificial insemination procedure and he's confident that, barring no abnormalities in my test results, that I could get pregnant within the first six months of treatment" said Angela.
"Okay Angela this is it. Just come out and say it!" she thought to herself.
"He… umm… he asked me if I had given any thought to who's sperm I'd be using for the insemination. He said they are connected with a highly regarded sperm bank and gave me a questionnaire to complete to narrow down the qualities I'm looking for in a donor. He… he also asked if there was anyone in my life I thought would be interested in… contributing, as that would make the process easier…" Angela trailed off, no longer able to gauge the effect opening this big can of worms was having in the moment.
Tony was trying to absorb this information. "Was she asking me to be the sperm donor? I mean the baby's actually father? Could she really want us to have this connection?" Tony was thinking. The vision of pregnant Angela popped back into his head and he couldn't help the smile creeping upon his face. He started making small circles over her knuckles, their hands still connected across the table.
"Angela, I wanted to have this conversation with you since last week. I would love…" Tony started but was interrupted by Mona barging in the back door, again causing Angela and Tony to release their grip on each other and jump back.
"Mother! What… what are you doing here?" asked Angela.
"We need to talk. Samantha and Jonathan know…" said Mona.
To be continued…