Inheritance (30/30)
A/N: Aspects of this chapter are a little gift for marea67 ;)
Previous Chapter
They had been married just over a year when Kevin first brought up the idea. Scotty had laughed at first, until he realized Kevin was serious.
He fought it for several weeks, concerned about the money and their jobs. He wasn’t ready to give up the time or sex or, frankly, sleep that would inevitably be lost.
But Kevin roped him into babysitting for Rebecca the following weekend, and as mad as Scotty was at him for the obvious ploy, it did what Kevin had intended. Seeing him hold baby Rebecca, and holding her himself, was enough to change Scotty’s mind.
It was a long, drawn-out process, first selecting an egg donor, then finally agreeing on the surrogate, then attempting to fertilize embryos. But they had succeeded so far. They were waiting in the office of a fertility clinic right now to discuss the next step.
The doctor walked in, offering them a quick smile, and sat at her desk. She first skimmed the contents of a folder and then looked up at them. Scotty had a bizarre feeling of déjà vu as he and Kevin waited for the results that could change their lives.
“OK, Scotty, all three of your remaining blasts developed to the next stage. Kevin, I’m sorry to tell you that only one of yours did. Based on this result, I would suggest that you use two of Scotty’s in the implantation attempt next week.”
They were both silent for a moment. Scotty glanced at Kevin, who refused to meet his eyes.
“OK,” Kevin finally said.
“No,” Scotty replied at the same time. “I want to use one of each.”
Both the doctor and Kevin stared at Scotty.
“It’s more of a risk,” the doctor began.
“I don’t care,” Scotty interrupted. “Biology isn’t fair. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be.”
Kevin turned to him, exhaling slowly. “Scotty - ”
“My mind’s made up.”
Kevin softly smiled. “OK.”
***
Scotty shook his head in exasperation. He didn’t know who was hovering the most anxiously over Michelle - Kevin, Nora or Holly. He felt torn; he didn’t want to make anyone upset, and he certainly didn’t want to pretend he didn’t care. But he also had known Michelle for years, and he knew that the more you pushed her, the more she’d push back.
***
Scotty waited nervously, gripping Michelle’s hand in one of his and Kevin’s in the other. It was silly to be nervous, he knew. The first, store-bought pregnancy test had come back positive. He still remembered Michelle’s shouts of joy over the phone when she called to tell him. And the second test ordered by the OB/GYN had also come back positive. But Scotty couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t real yet. Today, though, they were having an ultrasound, and they should be able to hear the heartbeat. And then maybe Scotty could finally relax.
The technician came into the room and smiled at all of them. She quickly prepared the equipment, warned Michelle of the coldness of the gel, and began the ultrasound. A strange whooshing filled the room, and Scotty smiled.
“Is that - ?”
“That’s the heartbeat,” the technician replied, nodding.
“It sounds really fast,” Kevin said nervously.
“Nope, that’s pretty normal, actually. Good and strong. But what I think is throwing you off…is the other heartbeat.”
“You mean mine?” Michelle asked, confused.
“Uh-uh. The other baby.”
Kevin and Scotty quickly looked at each other.
“Two?” Scotty asked, feeling all hope of being able to relax suddenly leave him.
“You put two embryos in, didn’t you?” she asked, laughing.
“Yeah, but…but they said the chances…” Kevin stuttered.
“Looks like you beat the odds,” the technician replied as she pointed at the screen.
“Two? Are you serious?!” Michelle exclaimed.
***
Nora burst into Holly’s office. “Have you heard anything yet?”
Holly, who had been staring at her phone more often than her computer, shook her head. “No! What’s taking them so long?”
Nora took out her phone, checking to make sure she was getting a signal and the ringer volume was turned up. Suddenly, it rang in her hands and she nearly dropped it in shock. As she answered, Holly’s desk phone rang.
“Hello?” Holly asked quickly.
“Kevin?” Nora said.
“What?!”
“Two!”
“No, no. She’s right here.”
“Well, how’s Michelle?”
“That’s so great.”
“Come over for dinner tonight! We’ll talk more!”
“OK. No, get back to them. Love you, bye!”
Holly and Nora both hung up simultaneously and stared at each other. Then they both shrieked in joy.
“Oh my God, two grandbabies! Can you believe it?” Nora asked excitedly.
Holly suddenly seemed overwhelmed, sitting down slowly as she fought for words.
“Holly?”
“It’s just…I’m going to be a grandmother.”
Nora grinned knowingly. “Yes, that’s right. These are your first.”
Holly looked up at her. “It sounds so old.”
Nora burst into laughter just as Sarah opened the office door.
“What is going on in here?”
***
“Oh my…there, right there.”
“Promise me - promise we’ll make time for this, even after - ”
“I promise, I promise.”
“You feel so - ”
“Holy fu - aah!”
The room was silent, save for heavy breathing.
“We’ll definitely always make time for that.”
“If it comes down to it, I’ll quit my job.”
“Heh heh heh. Me too.”
“I’m serious.”
“…You sound like it. Kevin?”
“I don’t know. I just…”
***
They were still two months away from “Drop Day,” as Kevin had taken to calling the due date, but Scotty was already exhausted. He supposed it was good practice. He was about to leave the loft, to go work yet another shift he had picked up at the restaurant, when there was a knock on the door. As he was right there, he opened it much quicker than their visitor had been expecting.
“Oh!” Nora exclaimed. “Hi Scotty.”
“Hi Nora. Kevin isn’t here, and I’ve got to go.”
“You look dead on your feet!”
“I know. It’s just been…really busy. Getting ready for the babies and everything.”
“Kevin mentioned you’ve been working a lot.”
Scotty nodded. “We have to get a bigger place obviously, and this whole thing has already cleaned us out basically. Even with the comic books my dad sold for us. And now, I don’t know if you heard, but Kevin’s quitting his job.”
“I heard. That’s why I’m here. Finally!”
“I know, right? But still. The timing couldn't be worse.”
“Well, here,” Nora held out an envelope. “Maybe this will help.”
“Nora,” Scotty objected with a sigh, even as he took and opened the envelope. “We don’t need any gifts.”
“It’s not a gift,” Nora argued. “It’s an inheritance.”
Scotty furrowed his brow as he stared at the check. “I think you got a little carried away with these zeroes.”
Nora shook her head. “When you wouldn’t take that money, Saul and I reinvested it. That’s how much it grew into. I know you didn’t feel right taking it as William’s son. But you damn well better take it for his grandchildren. Don’t even try to fight me on it.”
Scotty lifted his hand to his eyes, trying not to cry.
***
Michelle slept peacefully, after twenty-two hours of cussing and crying. Kevin and Scotty sat in armchairs in the corner of the room, both of them holding quietly fussing babies.
“They’re so tiny,” Kevin observed softly.
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Scotty wondered.
Kevin smiled, nodding in overwhelmed agreement. He sniffed, trying to contain his emotions, as Scotty took a deep, shaky breath.
“Kevin, let’s not ever find out, if we can help it.”
Kevin looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Whose is whose,” Scotty explained. “I don’t want to know.”
Kevin nodded. “You’re right. DNA doesn’t matter. We’re a family.”
The End
Main Page
Previous Chapter
They had been married just over a year when Kevin first brought up the idea. Scotty had laughed at first, until he realized Kevin was serious.
He fought it for several weeks, concerned about the money and their jobs. He wasn’t ready to give up the time or sex or, frankly, sleep that would inevitably be lost.
But Kevin roped him into babysitting for Rebecca the following weekend, and as mad as Scotty was at him for the obvious ploy, it did what Kevin had intended. Seeing him hold baby Rebecca, and holding her himself, was enough to change Scotty’s mind.
It was a long, drawn-out process, first selecting an egg donor, then finally agreeing on the surrogate, then attempting to fertilize embryos. But they had succeeded so far. They were waiting in the office of a fertility clinic right now to discuss the next step.
The doctor walked in, offering them a quick smile, and sat at her desk. She first skimmed the contents of a folder and then looked up at them. Scotty had a bizarre feeling of déjà vu as he and Kevin waited for the results that could change their lives.
“OK, Scotty, all three of your remaining blasts developed to the next stage. Kevin, I’m sorry to tell you that only one of yours did. Based on this result, I would suggest that you use two of Scotty’s in the implantation attempt next week.”
They were both silent for a moment. Scotty glanced at Kevin, who refused to meet his eyes.
“OK,” Kevin finally said.
“No,” Scotty replied at the same time. “I want to use one of each.”
Both the doctor and Kevin stared at Scotty.
“It’s more of a risk,” the doctor began.
“I don’t care,” Scotty interrupted. “Biology isn’t fair. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be.”
Kevin turned to him, exhaling slowly. “Scotty - ”
“My mind’s made up.”
Kevin softly smiled. “OK.”
***
Scotty shook his head in exasperation. He didn’t know who was hovering the most anxiously over Michelle - Kevin, Nora or Holly. He felt torn; he didn’t want to make anyone upset, and he certainly didn’t want to pretend he didn’t care. But he also had known Michelle for years, and he knew that the more you pushed her, the more she’d push back.
***
Scotty waited nervously, gripping Michelle’s hand in one of his and Kevin’s in the other. It was silly to be nervous, he knew. The first, store-bought pregnancy test had come back positive. He still remembered Michelle’s shouts of joy over the phone when she called to tell him. And the second test ordered by the OB/GYN had also come back positive. But Scotty couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t real yet. Today, though, they were having an ultrasound, and they should be able to hear the heartbeat. And then maybe Scotty could finally relax.
The technician came into the room and smiled at all of them. She quickly prepared the equipment, warned Michelle of the coldness of the gel, and began the ultrasound. A strange whooshing filled the room, and Scotty smiled.
“Is that - ?”
“That’s the heartbeat,” the technician replied, nodding.
“It sounds really fast,” Kevin said nervously.
“Nope, that’s pretty normal, actually. Good and strong. But what I think is throwing you off…is the other heartbeat.”
“You mean mine?” Michelle asked, confused.
“Uh-uh. The other baby.”
Kevin and Scotty quickly looked at each other.
“Two?” Scotty asked, feeling all hope of being able to relax suddenly leave him.
“You put two embryos in, didn’t you?” she asked, laughing.
“Yeah, but…but they said the chances…” Kevin stuttered.
“Looks like you beat the odds,” the technician replied as she pointed at the screen.
“Two? Are you serious?!” Michelle exclaimed.
***
Nora burst into Holly’s office. “Have you heard anything yet?”
Holly, who had been staring at her phone more often than her computer, shook her head. “No! What’s taking them so long?”
Nora took out her phone, checking to make sure she was getting a signal and the ringer volume was turned up. Suddenly, it rang in her hands and she nearly dropped it in shock. As she answered, Holly’s desk phone rang.
“Hello?” Holly asked quickly.
“Kevin?” Nora said.
“What?!”
“Two!”
“No, no. She’s right here.”
“Well, how’s Michelle?”
“That’s so great.”
“Come over for dinner tonight! We’ll talk more!”
“OK. No, get back to them. Love you, bye!”
Holly and Nora both hung up simultaneously and stared at each other. Then they both shrieked in joy.
“Oh my God, two grandbabies! Can you believe it?” Nora asked excitedly.
Holly suddenly seemed overwhelmed, sitting down slowly as she fought for words.
“Holly?”
“It’s just…I’m going to be a grandmother.”
Nora grinned knowingly. “Yes, that’s right. These are your first.”
Holly looked up at her. “It sounds so old.”
Nora burst into laughter just as Sarah opened the office door.
“What is going on in here?”
***
“Oh my…there, right there.”
“Promise me - promise we’ll make time for this, even after - ”
“I promise, I promise.”
“You feel so - ”
“Holy fu - aah!”
The room was silent, save for heavy breathing.
“We’ll definitely always make time for that.”
“If it comes down to it, I’ll quit my job.”
“Heh heh heh. Me too.”
“I’m serious.”
“…You sound like it. Kevin?”
“I don’t know. I just…”
***
They were still two months away from “Drop Day,” as Kevin had taken to calling the due date, but Scotty was already exhausted. He supposed it was good practice. He was about to leave the loft, to go work yet another shift he had picked up at the restaurant, when there was a knock on the door. As he was right there, he opened it much quicker than their visitor had been expecting.
“Oh!” Nora exclaimed. “Hi Scotty.”
“Hi Nora. Kevin isn’t here, and I’ve got to go.”
“You look dead on your feet!”
“I know. It’s just been…really busy. Getting ready for the babies and everything.”
“Kevin mentioned you’ve been working a lot.”
Scotty nodded. “We have to get a bigger place obviously, and this whole thing has already cleaned us out basically. Even with the comic books my dad sold for us. And now, I don’t know if you heard, but Kevin’s quitting his job.”
“I heard. That’s why I’m here. Finally!”
“I know, right? But still. The timing couldn't be worse.”
“Well, here,” Nora held out an envelope. “Maybe this will help.”
“Nora,” Scotty objected with a sigh, even as he took and opened the envelope. “We don’t need any gifts.”
“It’s not a gift,” Nora argued. “It’s an inheritance.”
Scotty furrowed his brow as he stared at the check. “I think you got a little carried away with these zeroes.”
Nora shook her head. “When you wouldn’t take that money, Saul and I reinvested it. That’s how much it grew into. I know you didn’t feel right taking it as William’s son. But you damn well better take it for his grandchildren. Don’t even try to fight me on it.”
Scotty lifted his hand to his eyes, trying not to cry.
***
Michelle slept peacefully, after twenty-two hours of cussing and crying. Kevin and Scotty sat in armchairs in the corner of the room, both of them holding quietly fussing babies.
“They’re so tiny,” Kevin observed softly.
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Scotty wondered.
Kevin smiled, nodding in overwhelmed agreement. He sniffed, trying to contain his emotions, as Scotty took a deep, shaky breath.
“Kevin, let’s not ever find out, if we can help it.”
Kevin looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Whose is whose,” Scotty explained. “I don’t want to know.”
Kevin nodded. “You’re right. DNA doesn’t matter. We’re a family.”
The End
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