Chapter 3- Hope for All
The week went by without much fanfare. Collage classes were attended, housework completed, tests taken and papers written. Business meetings were conducted, long commutes were taken, and after hours were spent in the home office catching up on work. On the surface, Angela and Tony seemed to go about their normal routines, no one the wiser that both their nerves were starting to get the best of them as Thursday approached.
Since their initial talk the week before, Tony had made a habit of making them a cup of tea before bed so they could talk about their days. If Tony was being honest, he was looking for any excuse to be closer to Angela, without the presence of the kids or Mona. If Angela was being honest, she spent most of the day looking forward to their special tea time.
"So tomorrow is the big day! Well umm I mean the meeting is tomorrow!" said Tony.
Giving a slight laugh, Angela smiled. "Yes it is. To be honest, I'm a little nervous and not just because of what I can only imagine Mother will say and/or do during the Q and A" said Angela.
"Eh oh oh eh! She won't say anything to embarrass you… okay never mind. I'll try and keep her in check okay? What are you nervous about?" asked Tony.
"The better question is what am I not nervous about. What if I go through all this- the testing, the blood work, the doctor visits, the actual procedure and it doesn't work? If I get my hopes up and then nothing. Or… what if it does work. I'm going to be almost 40 years old with a baby- single and alone with two children. Starting all over again at my age won't be easy. How will we adjust? What if.." Angela continued to ramble on until Tony interrupted her.
"Angela, this… this is something that you are only going to have so much control over, which I know is not your forte. If it is meant to be, then it will happen. If not, there are other ways of having a child. Who cares how old you will be when the baby is born? I'll still always be two years younger!" Tony laughed, causing Angela to laugh as well.
"And you might be single, but you are most certainly not alone" Tony said as he took her hands in his own. "Jonathan and Sam will adjust to their new sibling just fine. I umm mean Jonathan will adjust to his sibling. Sam will be fine too. You know how much she loves babysitting. And as long as the kid doesn't call her grandma too often, Mona will be just fine" laughed Tony.
Tears were again forming in her eyes. "Oh Tony thank you. I needed to hear that. I need you… your support, probably more than I'm willing to admit. Thank you" said Angela.
"That's what I'm here for Angela. That's what I'll always be here for" said Tony.
Both Angela and Tony went back to silently sipping their tea before they cleaned up for the night and headed upstairs.
The next morning, Tony was in the kitchen, taking extra care to focus on his cooking breakfast and not on the ever increasing nervousness. He began plating the kids' breakfast as they both walked into the kitchen. Angela was right behind them, followed shortly by Mona.
"Good morning everybody!" said Angela. "Good morning Angela", said Samantha. "Hi mom!", said Jonathan.
"So listen kids, Angela and Mona have a late work meeting and won't be home until after dinner. I'm heading out to Brooklyn this afternoon after my last class and will pick Angela and Mona up on my way back. I made a lasagna yesterday that just needs to be reheated. Samantha, you think you can handle that for you and Jonathan?" questioned Tony. Both Tony and Angela had agreed not to mention the meeting until they knew more details and if in fact Angela was going to proceed.
"Sure Dad, but why are you going out on a Thursday? It's a school night you know young man!" laughed Samantha.
"Well I… umm…" Tony started to stumble. "Well you see Samantha, your dad was going to head out there this weekend, but the guys really wanted him to join them today at Marty's as it's half price happy hour. They are also doing a sports trivia and needed your dad as the ringer. Tiny practically begged him to go, isn't that right Tony" said Angela.
"Uh yes. You know how I can't say no to a 300 pound crying trivia buff, Sam" said Tony.
"Well why didn't you just say so Dad. Say hi to the guys for me!" said Samantha as she and Jonathan headed out the door. "Tony, I hope you win tonight!" yelled Jonathan from the driveway.
"Smooth Angela, real smooth! Now I have to make up trivia questions and answers as well as think of some sorta prize!" yelled Tony.
"Relax Tony! It will be fine. Just tell them you guys lost" said Angela.
"Eh oh, oh eh! I do not lose! Especially sports trivia! Why couldn't you have just said something else?" asked Tony.
"How about going to see a man about putting a bun in my daughter's oven?" questioned Mona sarcastically.
"Mother! Mona!" Angela and Tony yelled simultaneously.
"Well it was just a thought. C'mon we are going to be late for the train and I don't want to hear Angela complain until the next one comes" said Mona.
"So Tony, you will meet us at the clinic at 5pm. You have the address right?" asked Angela.
"For the hundredth time Angela, he has the address. We have the address, and the time and all the other information", quipped Mona.
"Okay, okay. Mother let's go before I make an orphan out of me…" said Angela as she walked out the door.
Later that evening…
Tony arrived outside the clinic. A large gold awning read the words "Hope for All Fertility Clinic". The windows had photos of happy couples with their babies- some older looking parents, some single women with babies. "That will be Angela I suppose" thought Tony. He couldn't help but go back to the conversation from last night. "Single and alone. How could she possibly think she'd ever be alone? I said I would be there for her! But as what? Her housekeeper? Friend? Best friend? Father of her child?"
That last thought caused a lump to form in his throat. The vision of a pregnant Angela, that had found what seemed like a permanent home in his thoughts these days, came back to him. Before he could think about it any longer, Angela and Mona came walking up the street and met Tony outside the building.
"Hi Tony!" said Angela as she walked up to him, Mona lagging behind as she caught the sight of an attractive man walking past them. "Mother! Hurry up, we need to go in now!" shouted Angela.
"Relax Angela. I was merely scouting out a potential baby daddy for you. His eyes on my future grandchild would be nice…" Mona quipped. "Mother! Mona!" shouted Angela and Tony. Angela grabbed Mona's arm and dragged her into the building, with Tony right behind them.
As they entered the room, they found a set of three chairs towards the back of the room. Angela sat on the end of the row with Tony next to her and Mona next to him. Refreshments were served and Tony offered to get Angela a cup of coffee. As he sat down again, the clinic's head doctor and nurse got up to the podium to start the presentation. Angela took out a pen and notepad to jot down any information she missed during their initial meeting.
"Welcome everyone to Hope for All's informational session. We will be going over all the latest technology, procedures and protocols we implement here to help instill confidence and hope that the end of your journey here with us will result in a healthy baby" said Dr. Greene.
"The first step in the process is a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Greene and one of our nurses to go over in detail the best procedures and protocols based on your individual situation, health and wellness. Once a procedure is chosen, you and your partner will start to undergo standard, routine testing, such as blood work, a full physical and a sperm analysis for your partner. Genetic testing will also be done for both you and your partner to rule out the possibility of any genetic disorders being passed onto the embryos. The women will also need to go through some additional tests including a HSG or hysterosalpingogram, sonograms both internal and external and a mapping of the uterus" said the nurse.
"Most of the tests are painless, but there is some discomfort with some of the testing for the women" said Dr. Greene.
"Yeah 'slight' I'm sure. Like he's ever had someone poking and prodding up his.." Mona whispered to Tony before he elbowed her to shut her up. Angela was too engrossed in the presentation to notice what was going on next to her.
"After all the testing is done and an individualized treatment plan is confirmed, you will begin the process on day one of your period. You will begin a regimen of medications to mature your eggs for either intrauterine insemination or egg retrieval for in-vitro fertilization or IVF. Your partner will be instructed on how to administer the shots into either your thigh or buttocks. You will require multiple appointments at this point to monitor your progress through bloodwork. Once it is determined the conditions are optimal, insemination or egg retrieval will be scheduled. For IVF, insemination occurs in our lab where the cells are grown and then implanted back into the uterus a few days later. In both procedures, bed rest is required for a minimum of 48-72 hours for best chances of success" said the nurse.
Tony was trying to focus on anything other than what was being said. After the doctor said the partner needed to inject medication into the woman, he started to feel queasy. Mona could sense Tony's discomfort.
"Tony, would you be a dear and get me some coffee? I'm suddenly very thirsty" said Mona. "Uh umm yes umm coffee. Thirsty. Okay" Tony stuttered as he got up from his chair, practically squashing Angela's foot on the way out.
"Ouch! Tony just stepped on my foot" whispered Angela to Mona, who had scooted into Tony's seat.
"Relax Angela, you have another one. And besides, he needed to get out of here for a minute before he would have needed to be revived off the floor" said Mona.
"What are you talking about Mother?" questioned Angela. "Let's just say that talk about injections and testing turned his face whiter than Casper the friendly ghost" quipped Mona.
Just then, Tony returned with a cup of coffee for Mona and a glass of water for himself. Regaining some of his composure, he asked them what he had missed.
"Nothing really. They finished talking about the procedures and are now passing out folders with more information about what was said and how to begin with the clinic" said Angela. She looked at him for a moment, but he seemed okay from what she could tell.
"Now that you all have your informational folders, take a minute to look through them and then we will have some time to answer any of your questions you might have. Please keep in mind, we won't be able to answer specific questions about your situation until we schedule your one-on-one appointment with Dr. Greene" said the nurse.
"How long until we find out if the procedure worked and we are pregnant?" asked a woman near the front. "Approximately 7-10 days afterwards. You will come in for a blood test to confirm the pregnancy" said the nurse.
"Does my husband really have to inject me with needles? He's out of town on business a lot and won't be around to do it. Plus, he's not the best around needles!" another woman asked from the back of the room.
"Yes you need someone to do daily injections. They need to be done at specific times each day and it's not something you can do yourself. We have worked with all types of squeamish partners. We provide lots of training and will show you as many times as it takes until you feel comfortable" said Dr. Greene.
"Will you be our obstetrician if and when we become pregnant or do we have to go back to our own?" asked Angela.
"We will see you through until eight weeks, twelve if there are any complications. From that point on, your regular obstetrician will take over your care until you deliver" said Dr. Greene.
A few more questions were asked before the session wrapped up. The remaining people were lined up to schedule the one-on-one sessions with the doctor. Angela, Tony and Mona hung back in their seats.
"So, what did the two of you think about it? Please be honest" pleaded Angela.
"It seems like a lot of testing and invasive procedures for you Angela. The medications and the shots too. It's really up to you though. I will support you in whatever you decide. I still think you're buying the cow when you can get the milk for free…" Mona said sarcastically as she side eyed Tony. Mona got up and went over to the refreshment table to talk to one of the other male doctors.
Angela and Tony sat there in silence for a few moments. Finally breaking the silence, Tony said "Are you sure about this Angela? Mona's right- that's a lot of testing for you. Poking and prodding, all those shots and needles. I just want you to be 100% sure about this" said Tony.
"Tony… I've given this a lot of thought. I want this, I want this very much. If going through all these hoops and hurdles will get me pregnant, I'm willing to do it. Does… does this still sound like something you would want… to support me in doing?" Angela trailed off, the last part barely above a whisper.
"Yes, yes of course it is. I'm in this 100%. It's just the thought of you in any pain or discomfort doesn't sit well with me, ya know? But I guess I have to get used to that since, well ya know, nine months later you'll be in a whole lot of pain!" said Tony.
Angela couldn't help but laugh at Tony's last comment. "How am I ever going to ask him? I can't even tell him how I feel about him! Well at least consciously. Maybe as I start this process, I can figure out a way to ask him" Angela thought to herself.
Tony was lost in his thoughts again. "How can I bring this up with her? It's not like I'm asking to give her my baseball card or something. This would be a game changer for not only our family, but for me and Angela" thought Tony.
"Tony- I've decided I'm going to do this. I'm going to schedule the one-on-one consultation with the doctor. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have your support through all this" said Angela as she placed a light kiss on his cheek and walked to the reception area, leaving Tony alone again with his thoughts.
From across the room, Mona couldn't help but smile as she watched their interaction. "Maybe this is just what they need to jump start their relationship and ditch the blind nun with the flat tire once and for all!" thought Mona as she went back to her male companionship.