Sister Surrogate

by LaChelle Weaver

  “What is it that you have to tell me, sweetheart because—,”

  “Bridgette offered to be our surrogate,” she blurted out, cutting him off.

  Savannah couldn’t discern the look displayed on his face as he peered at her over the wine glass at his lips. His brows were slightly furrowed and it seemed as if he was trying to decide whether to take a sip of his wine or down the entire glass in one swift gulp. He didn’t do either as he placed the glass back down on the table.

  “Isn’t that great news, honey?” Savannah asked. Her voice filled with joy despite the uncertainty she felt about how their conversation would end.

  “Wow,” Julius responded.

  “That’s what my initial reaction was as well. I really didn’t know how I felt about it, but after mulling it over afterwards, I think it’s a great idea,” Savannah exclaimed.

  Julius leaned back into the booth they were seated in next to each other. He looked as if he was at a loss for the right words to say.

  “I know it’s a bit overwhelming to think about, and I really do understand your reservations, but this is good news for us, honey. We can have the baby we’ve been talking about pretty much since we’ve been together. And Bridgette wants to give us that.”

  “That’s quite a sacrifice for her to be willing to make, I must say. She already has a lot going on. Do you think it’s a good idea for her to try and have a baby for us as well? It seems like a bit much,” Julius said. “And more importantly, how does Nick feel about all of this?”

  “She was going to talk with him about it after she received our blessing.”

  Julius frowned.

  “I don’t like the sound of that, Savannah. I mean, don’t you think she should’ve discussed the idea with him first before presenting you with it? As her husband, he should know something like that. It would affect both of them. Not to mention the boys.”

  “I understand that and I told her that, but you know how Bridgette is. She’s very strong-willed about something she’s passionate about. But, I’m sure she will.”

  Julius still didn’t look like he was convinced. “While I’m grateful that Bridgette would like to do this, I’m just not so sure about it, baby. There is a lot to consider here. And furthermore, I don’t want it to cause any problems in their marriage.”

  Savannah was beginning to feel discouraged because it was sounding like Julius wasn’t going to consent and she would be devastated.

  “What about our marriage? This is something we’ve both wanted and I’m afraid of what will happen to us by not being able to have any children,” Savannah said, feeling herself getting emotional.

  Julius grabbed her hand. “While I know that we’ve always talked about having a family, that’s not why I married you. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be a little disappointed, but if there’s a choice regarding your health and versus having a child, I’m going to choose you without question. My love for you is unconditional and I hope you realize that. And, there are always other options we could look into.”

  “I feel the same, honey. And thank you for saying that because to be honest, I’ve been worried about that,” she said, ignoring the last part of his comment. She knew he was referring to adoption, and it’s not like it was something she hadn’t thought about, but it wasn’t what she wanted to do. It probably seemed selfish, but she wanted a child with her husband—a biological child.

  “These past few weeks have been really traumatic for me, and I’m thankful that you’ve been there for me even when I was acting like a spoiled brat. I think I fell in love with you all over again,” Savannah smiled at him and he leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. Savannah wanted to do something she hadn’t felt like doing since her diagnosis, and that was make love to her husband, which she planned on doing when they got home. After her surgery, it would be awhile before they would be able to, so she needed to take advantage of it while she still could.

  “Will you at least consider Bridgette’s offer? I know you have concerns and believe me, I did too, but I really want this for us, honey. Can you imagine holding our very own child when it’s all over?” Savannah asked, getting back on topic.

  “I have to admit, that would be pretty awesome, wouldn’t it?” Julius said, smiling and Savannah felt like he was starting to consider it.

  “Yes, honey. And we could even end up with multiple babies at once since that happens quite often with in vitro fertilization. Now, that would be awesome.”

  “Maybe for us, but I don’t know how Bridgette would feel about having to do that again. She seemed like she was struggling at the end of her pregnancy with the boys.”

  “She loved being pregnant with the twins.” Savannah chuckled and so did Julius.

  “Oh gosh,” Julius exclaimed, shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face.

  Savannah frowned. “What is it, honey?”

  “I just thought about the fact that she’d have to actually go through delivery. I love Bridgette, but I have no interest at all in seeing her womanly parts,” Julius announced and Savannah burst out laughing.

  She laughed so hard she had tears coming from her eyes. Julius laughed along with her, and Savannah was happy that they were finding their light again after the past few weeks of darkness.

  Chapter Thirteen

  B

  ack in Atlanta, after spending two weeks in Los Angeles working on the set of an upcoming TV show, Ivy was exhausted. She caught the earliest flight she could find out of LAX airport and once she’d gotten back to her townhouse nestled in the beautiful community of Buckhead, she parked her luggage at the front door in the foyer, peeling her clothes off along the way to the master bathroom for a hot shower; her ritual after a long flight. And afterwards, she put her iPhone on Do Not Disturb mode, crawled into bed and slept most of the day.

  She could’ve probably slept another few hours, but the constant rumbling in her stomach wouldn’t let her and she didn’t have any food in the house and even worse—no wine, so she’d had to make a run to Publix. Now back home, she’d popped open her favorite brand of red wine, filled her wineglass to the rim, warmed up some soup, and made herself a sandwich to go along with it. It was times like these when she longed to be home in Charlotte with her sisters.

  It was Sunday, so they’d be enjoying a hearty dinner at one of their houses after attending church together. Bridgette usually cooked the majority of the meal with Ivy and Savannah contributing something store bought, and Bridgette making a quip about their non-cooking skills. Afterwards, they’d enjoy whatever dessert Bridgette baked while watching one of their favorite movies. It was their sister time and Ivy always looked forward to it because now that Bridgette’s bakery was steadily growing in its popularity and Savannah was a newlywed and Ivy traveling even more, their time together was almost becoming a rarity. She really missed her sisters.

  Ivy hadn’t spoken to Bridgette since her last visit home during Easter weekend other than sending her a few text messages when she hadn’t been able to reach Savannah. When they’d all gotten together that Saturday at Savannah’s house for the Easter egg hunt and barbecue, Bridgette still acted as if she had an attitude with Ivy, so she’d kept her distance. Ivy wanted to keep the mood peaceful, especially for Savannah’s sake. She could tell she was in turmoil emotionally, though she was trying to be strong and Bridgette was glued to her side. Ivy had thought she was being a bit overbearing, but she kept quiet and reserved her opinions to herself. It was the same when they all reconvened for Easter dinner that Sunday. Ivy ended up leaving right after, making an excuse that she had an early flight back to Atlanta that next day when she wasn’t leaving until Tuesday morning. She was saddened that their weekend together had been overcast by traumatic news and bickering. It had been too much.

  When she’d texted Bridgette inquiring about Savannah because she hadn’t been able to reach her, she’d respond with short, curt messages sometimes hours later and a few times, not at all. Ivy would shake her head in
irritation at her older sister’s behavior because she really didn’t understand it. Bridgette acted as if Ivy had done something personal to her, and it didn’t make any sense, but that was how she behaved sometimes and Ivy had decided that she wasn’t going to worry about it. She hadn’t had much time to anyway with her work schedule.

  Ivy had just sat down to eat when her iPhone chimed. She looked at the screen and saw a text message from Kean. She hadn’t spoken to him much either over the past few weeks, but he always seemed to know when she was back in Atlanta.

  Be back in the ATL tomorrow. Early flight out of Philly. Still owe you a nice dinner. Any plans tomorrow night?

  Nope. All yours. She replied.

  Hmmm…I like the sound of that.

  I’ll bet you do. Ivy typed.

  LOL! You set yourself up for that one, he responded.

  Ivy laughed because she could picture the devious smirk he was known to wear on his face when joking around with her. She was looking forward to seeing him, but she wouldn’t admit that to him. She loved the thrill of being courted. Women were too eager these days to sleep with men, instead of taking the time to learn if they were right for each other.

  Get your mind out of my panties, Ivy replied.

  Their playful text banter went on a few more minutes before they agreed on a time to get together the following day.

  After finishing the remains of her light meal, she decided to call Savannah and check up on her. Ivy was surprised by the upbeat tone in her voice when she answered.

  “Good evening, Bubbling Brown Sugar.” Ivy quipped. “Sounds like you’re doing much better.”

  “Yes, Ivy League. Much better, thanks to our sister.”

  Ivy paused at the mention of Bridgette’s name.

  “What has she done now?”

  Savannah chuckled. “Are you sitting down?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Why? What’s going on?” Ivy’s voice was filled with apprehension.

  “The more important question I should ask is do you have a glass of wine because you might need it after I share this news with you,” said Savannah.

  Ivy could hear the excitement in her voice; so she knew it couldn’t be anything else bad. “As a matter of fact, I do. So spill it. What’s up?”

  Savannah laughed and it sounded good to hear her in better spirits after the few tough weeks she’d had. Ivy didn’t know what Bridgette had done to get her there, but she couldn’t wait to find out. She heard Savannah inhale a deep breath and then exhale.

  “Bridgette’s going to carry my baby,” Savannah blurted out.

  “I beg your pardon?” Ivy asked. Her brows were furrowed in confusion. Now, she knew she hadn’t been in the family loop and she’d only spoken to Savannah maybe twice since her last visit home, but what she was telling her wasn’t making much sense.

  “Bridgette offered to be my surrogate. I’m going to have my eggs removed and then we’re going to have them fertilized with Julius’s sperm and then implant them into Bridgette.” Savannah announced this news as if she was talking about changing her hair color.

  Ivy was stunned. She couldn’t form the words to respond.

  “Ivy, did you hear what I said?” Savannah demanded after a few seconds of silence had passed.

  “Yes, but I don’t know if I really heard you correctly,” Ivy murmured.

  “I said—,” Savannah began, but Ivy cut her off.

  “Savannah, you don’t have to repeat it.”

  Ivy reached for the bottle of merlot in front of her and refilled her glass. Savannah was right in her discernment that she’d need it. In fact, she’d probably have to open another bottle.

  “What’s wrong, Ivy? I thought you’d be happy. I’ll have the baby I wanted now thanks to our sister,” said Savannah, her voice filled with disappointment.

  “Nothing’s wrong, sis. I am happy for you, but I’m just a little surprised. That’s all.” Ivy took a long swig from her wineglass. “It’s not every day that you hear this kind of news, especially in a black family.”

  “What does being black have to do with anything?” Savannah’s tone was defensive.

  “I’m just saying. I’ve never heard of black people doing this, and certainly not anybody that we know. It seems a bit strange.”

  And in Ivy’s opinion, it was real strange. She’d worked with a few celebrities, mainly white women who’d paid other women to carry their babies, but that was the wacky part of the entertainment business and she didn’t know them personally, so it didn’t affect her.

  “Strange for whom? We’re sisters. Not strangers,” said Savannah.

  “Savannah, I don’t want you to take what I’m saying the wrong way, and I sense that’s what’s happening and that’s not my intent. I’m just trying to understand.”

  “What’s for you to understand? I thought that my dreams of starting a family with Julius were over, but now, I have the chance to see it come into fruition. Thanks to Bridgette,” said Savannah.

  Ivy couldn’t help but to roll her eyes at the mention of her oldest sister. She hadn’t talked to her in a while, but as soon as she hung up with Savannah, Bridgette would be getting a call from her whether she answered or not. And Ivy already knew their conversation wouldn’t be pleasant after she gave her opinion on this surrogacy foolishness.

  “Like I said before, Savannah. I’m happy for you because I know how much you’ve wanted this, but I have some concerns and I’d be remiss if I didn’t voice them. And, I have to be honest here, I don’t know if this is a good idea,” said Ivy.

  “Why not?” Savannah asked and Ivy could hear the irritation in her voice.

  Ivy took another sip from her wineglass, inhaled a deep breath and released it before answering her sister. She didn’t want to hurt Savannah’s feelings and quell her joy. She knew how depressed she’d been and if this was what was getting her back to happy, then she didn’t want to interfere with that, especially with the battle she’d have to endure to rid her body of cancer, which Ivy was more concerned with.

  “I think your focus should be on getting better, Savannah. We’ve all been through this cancer thing before with Daddy, so you know the toll it’s going to take on you physically and emotionally. I think you’ll be adding unnecessary stress.”

  “I appreciate your concern, Ivy, but if anything, it’ll help me get through everything I’ll have to go through, knowing that a rainbow in the form of this baby will be something I can look forward to at the end of this storm. You’ll see,” said Savannah with assurance.

  Ivy didn’t want to keep pressing her opinion on her sister, so she refrained for now, at least where Savannah was concerned.

  “I guess I will,” said Ivy, now mulled in her thoughts. She half-listened as Savannah talked with excitement about motherhood. Ivy wondered if her and Bridgette had talked it over with Julius and Nick and how they’d felt about all of this, but she remained silent. Again, it all felt so strange.

  Chapter Fourteen

  B

  ridgette had gotten her boys off to bed and now she was in her bedroom waiting on Nick to come out of the shower so she could finally talk with him. She knew she’d receive some resistance, but she was ready for it. She was feeling hopeful and thought back to her conversation a few hours ago with Savannah.

  “We want to do it,” said Savannah, when Bridgette answered her call. She’d just gotten home from church and was changing out of the dress she’d worn into more comfortable attire so she could start dinner. She’d been home alone since Nick had taken the boys out for a movie they’d been excited about seeing.

  “Oh Savannah. That makes me so happy. I didn’t really know if you would, but I’m glad you made this decision. So, I take it Julius gave you his blessing?”

  “Yes, after much skepticism, but he wants a baby as much as I do, so that outweighed everything else. He just wants to make sure the process won’t interfere with my treatment. That’s his main concern.”

  “Of course. Mine too. We w
on’t do anything until we have full consent from the doctors.” Bridgette said, as she removed her diamond stud earrings and stored them in her jewelry box sitting on her dresser.

  “I’m going to give Dr. Stein a call in the morning and get a referral for a fertility specialist. And then, we’ll go from there,” said Savannah. “Have you talked to Nick yet?”

  “No, but I’m going to tonight. Now, that I have your blessing.”

  “How do you think he’s going to react?” Savannah asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m hoping he’ll be open to it.”

  “I’ll be praying because I’m really excited about this, and it’s all I’ve been thinking about. And Bridgette, I’m so grateful that you want to do this for us. There are not enough words in the English language to tell you how much. Thank you so much, big sissy. I love you so much,” said Savannah and Bridgette could hear her welling up and it caused her to also.

  “I love you too, baby sis. You’re going to be a great Mommy and I can’t wait to experience it with you,” Bridgette said, wiping a tear that had fallen down her cheek.

  She blinked back tears, thinking about the conversation with her sister, as she sat up in bed with pillows propped behind her, flipping through the latest issue of Essence magazine, ironically with singer Kelly Rowland cradling her new baby on the cover, their Mother’s Day issue—reaffirming her decision. In her opinion, every woman should be able to experience the maternal glow that Kelly was displaying, especially if they had the desire like Savannah. Bridgette loved being pregnant with her boys, and while Savannah wouldn’t be able to experience that part of it, Bridgette hoped that the end result would make up for it.

  Bridgette’s iPhone buzzed on the nightstand with Ivy’s image and name displayed on the screen. She let it go to voicemail. Ivy had sent her a text message earlier that said: We need to talk. Bridgette hadn’t responded then either. She didn’t have too much to say to her right now anyway. But, their baby sister was going through a tough time and Bridgette thought Ivy would’ve made more of an effort to be present for her, but she hadn’t and it was typical. Ivy only thought about Ivy and Bridgette was sick of her selfishness. She was two seconds from really letting her have it. So, it was best that they kept their distance. And, she certainly didn’t have the energy to deal with her now. She had far more pressing matters to concern herself with at the present.