The Gift (Mature)

Part 4 - It all adds up to this

Her phone began to ring and she immediately answered, knowing all too well that this was finally the doctor contacting her about the procedure. Stevie answered and listened to what the doctor began to say, first telling her how it can be rough trying to get sperm to attach itself to an egg - especially with how old the egg may be, she cried through out the whole speech. Finally the doctor told her that the procedure was NOT successful. The egg that they had unfroze was just too weak and the sperm could not attach itself, her sobbing came through the phone awfully hard; explaining how dumb she could have been to even think this could work. Her doctor consoled her and told her that they still had a few more eggs if they wanted to attempt to try this again and possibly with a different surrogate, sometimes it was also the surrogates that caused the procedures to be unsuccessful. Stevie had said that if it didn't take that she wouldn't try again but for some reason she was wanting that second chance, to attempt this one more time, maybe a third until it'd take.

Hanging up the phone and letting her know that she would call her back in a matter of days, Stevie grabbed a tissue on her dresser to dab at her eyes, luckily she hadn't put any make up on.

It didn't work. Oh my God, it didn't work. She had been so sure that it would and the way it was beginning to show some new light in to her relationship with Lindsey, she had prayed that this would bring them back full circle.

She rocked herself on her bed, just staring out the large beautiful window that accompanied her in her bedroom, the breeze blowing her sheer black curtains, it was a cloudy day - fit her mood perfectly.

Feeling absolutely lonely, she picked up her phone and began to dial Lindsey's number, almost afraid to even tell him the news because she would want to try again but would he?

"Steves, how's it going?" Lindsey answered on the other end, sounding rather chipper.

"Linds..." Stevie sniffed.

"Stevie?" he sat down from where he stood at home, "What's wrong, sweetie?" but he already knew.

"It didn't take," she cried, hard to understand what she had said but he figured.

He was quiet for a moment and then he spoke again, "I'm so sorry, Stevie. I know how much you wanted this to work."

"I should have known better than to believe that this could be possible. I've dragged you in to this and I am so embarassed, feel like such a fool to think that I could be a mother at my age."

"You're not a fool and you didn't drag me in to anything, I told you, I wanted to help you."

"You've meant so much to me Lindsey and all these years I just wanted to have something from you that I could claim...It must be too much to ask, I don't belong to you - it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, shhh," he spoke softly, "Everything is safe with me, your secret is safe - I'd never tell anyone so you have no reason to feel the way you are feeling."

"She said that I had the opprotunity to try again but I wasn't sure how you'd take that," Stevie took in a deep breath.

Once again, he was quiet on the other end, just thinking about if he could go through waiting and knowing again - especailly the fear of once again having Kristen find out what he'd done.

"Lindsey?" she began to cry again, feeling as if he'd abandoned her.

"I'm here, Steves, just was thinking..."

"And?"

"And how can I say no to you?"

Stevie jumped up from where she was sitting on her bed, he could hear a smile coming through just by the tone of her voice, "Do you mean it? You would try again with me?"