The Greatest Gift

by Rachael Johns

  Harper thought of her GP’s warnings. ‘There’s a physical risk to every pregnancy.’

  ‘I know that,’ Jasper said with a nod as he drew his wife into his side. ‘I just can’t help being a little protective.’

  Harper smiled, experiencing a smidgen of jealousy at the beautiful relationship these two obviously shared. They were so full of love, she had no doubt they had plenty to give to a child. She tried to imagine what a baby combining her genetics with Jasper’s would look like. He was a very good-looking man—chiselled facial features, thick golden hair and the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen. Although he was a similar height and build to Samuel, she got the impression his muscles weren’t earned at the gym.

  ‘That’s fair enough,’ she said, thinking that if Jasper was half as protective of their baby, he’d make an awesome dad.

  ‘Skinny latte, hot chocolate and strong black?’ Announced a young waiter arriving at their table.

  ‘So tell me all about hot air ballooning?’ Harper asked when their waiter retreated. She didn’t want to sound like she was interviewing them but was truly fascinated by their unusual career.

  ‘What do you want to know?’ they asked, again speaking at the same time.

  She smiled. ‘Absolutely everything. How long have you been ballooning? Was it something you always wanted to do?’

  ‘I’d never been in a hot air balloon until I met Jasper,’ Claire admitted, ‘but I think I fell in love with him and ballooning at the same time. His family however, have a very long history in the industry.’

  Harper nodded encouragingly. ‘Do tell.’

  Jasper’s eyes lit up when he spoke about his family’s heritage and their passion for hot air ballooning and she could tell he loved it almost as much as he loved his wife. Harper barely noticed the arrival of the food, so transfixed was she by his story. She couldn’t help thinking he’d make the perfect guest for her show. Perhaps once this was all over, she’d invite him on.

  ‘So you both fly now?’ she asked once he’d finished.

  ‘Yep. Claire decided on her first flight that she wanted her own licence and I taught her myself.’

  ‘Can kids go up in hot air balloons?’

  ‘In Australia it’s up to the discretion of the pilot,’ Claire said, ‘but there’s really not a lot of point in bringing a child until they can see over the sides of the basket properly, so we’ve set a minimum age of five years.’

  ‘And will you both still work once the baby’s born?’ Harper asked, speaking as if Claire were already pregnant.

  ‘We plan to share the parenting responsibilities as evenly as possible. Jasper wants to be a hands-on dad as much as I want to be a full-time mum, but I guess we’re pretty lucky in that working for the family business, we can be flexible. Currently we work together—when Jasper flies, I’m chasing on the ground, and vice versa, but once the baby is born we’ll rework the rosters. In addition to Jasper’s parents, we have a number of other employees to fly and crew.’

  Harper nodded, but then it suddenly struck her that if both of them were killed in a balloon accident, the baby would be left an orphan. ‘Isn’t hot air ballooning dangerous?’

  Jasper laughed as he placed his knife and fork down on his now-empty plate. ‘Ballooning statistics are incredibly boring to read because there are so few crashes. Occasionally a balloon clips a tree during landing, but usually the only thing damaged is the pilot’s ego.’

  ‘Most people don’t think twice about climbing into a car,’ Claire said, ‘but you’re way more likely to die on the roads than in the air.’

  Then, as if she could read Harper’s mind, she added, ‘However, we won’t be taking any unnecessary risks so I won’t be flying once I get pregnant—the landings can sometimes be a little bumpy—and once the baby is born, then Jasper and I have decided never to go up in a balloon together. It’s probably a ridiculous precaution, but at least then if something happens to one of us, the other one will still be around.’

  ‘That sounds sensible.’

  ‘We’ve rambled on about our career. What about you?’ Claire asked. ‘Did you always want to be an interviewer?’

  ‘For as long as I can really remember. From an early age, I was fascinated by people and also by current affairs, but I did best in English and drama at school so after lots of discussions with my older sister, I decided journalism might be a good fit.’

  ‘And you love it?’ Jasper smiled, his cheeks reddening slightly. ‘I promised Claire I wouldn’t be all embarrassing but I have to tell you, my dad and I are huge fans of your show. We often listen while we’re doing maintenance. Even Dad’s old dog listens. Usually he sleeps in the doorway of the shed so he can keep an eye on anything happening outside, but when your show comes on, he gets as close to our old radio as he can.’

  Harper chuckled, chuffed by Jasper’s confession. ‘That’s really cute. I’m glad you enjoy the show.’

  ‘Do you have any pets?’ Claire asked.

  She shook her head. ‘Samuel and I are both such workaholics that we don’t feel it would be fair to bring an animal into our lives, but I do love them. I always wanted a pet as a child but my mother could barely remember to feed her own children, so thankfully we never got one.’

  ‘Are you not close to your mum then?’ Jasper asked.

  Harper sighed. ‘No. Not really. My mother is a … My dad died when I was a baby and she never quite got over the loss.’

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ said Claire. ‘That must have been hard.’

  ‘Well, I can’t really remember that time. I was really young, but let’s just say Laura’s a complex person. In fact, she’s just moved overseas to become a cowgirl in Montana or something ridiculous like that.’

  Jasper laughed. ‘Sounds exciting.’

  ‘We’ll see how long she lasts,’ Harper said, then quickly changed the direction of the conversation. ‘What about your families? Are they supportive of your decision to try egg donation?’

  Claire and Jasper exchanged a look and then looked back to Harper. ‘We’ve decided not to tell them yet,’ Claire said. ‘It’s not that we don’t think they’ll be supportive, but …’

  Jasper picked up where she left off. ‘But we’re well aware this whole thing might not be smooth sailing and we don’t want to have them constantly asking us how we’re doing. This is something we want to do by ourselves.’

  ‘But I’m sure our families would be encouraging,’ Claire said. ‘Both our parents already have grandchildren and would be overjoyed for more. My brother and his wife had a baby not long ago and his wife is an only child. They both know I’m infertile so I don’t think they’re holding out for a cousin for their little boy—if this works out, it’ll hopefully be a lovely surprise for everyone in our family.’

  Harper smiled. She felt warm and fuzzy all over knowing that not only would this baby be embraced and loved by its parents, but it would have a big extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents to love it as well.

  Claire drained the last of her hot chocolate and then placed the mug down on the table with a thunk. ‘Harper, if you decide to donate an egg to us and if we are successful in getting pregnant, we want to be as open as possible with our child and that means we’d like our donor to be involved in their life. How do you feel about that?’

  She hesitated a moment. ‘What kind of involvement are you thinking about?’

  Jasper took hold of Claire’s hand over the table again and his eyes turned serious as he looked to Harper. ‘We don’t want to live in each other’s pockets, but we thought it would be nice meeting up maybe once or twice a year. As soon as the child is old enough we’d like to tell him or her about her beginnings. All the reading we’ve done suggests that’s the best way for the child.’

  She hadn’t planned on being involved at all once a fertilised embryo was transferred, but once or twice a year wasn’t much of an ask. ‘So I’d be like an aunty of sorts?’ she asked, thinking of Samuel’s
nieces and nephews who she didn’t see very often but enjoyed when she did.

  Claire smiled. ‘Yes, exactly.’

  ‘I think that would be good,’ Harper said. Now that she thought about it, it might be quite nice to follow the progress of a child grown from her egg. And these were the people—she felt it in her bones.

  The three of them grinned at each other like they were in on some big wonderful secret, which she supposed in a way they were. Silence rang between them but it wasn’t awkward at all. A lump had formed in Harper’s throat at the thought of these lovely people becoming a family because of something she’d given them.

  She waited until the lump had lessened a little, then she reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Claire and Jasper’s joined ones. ‘I’ve loved talking to both of you today,’ she said, ‘and if you want to do this, then there’s no one else I’d rather give my eggs to.’

  Chapter Twelve

  The door of the fertility clinic slid open and Claire looked up from the magazine she’d been attempting to read, but it was only a couple of strangers. Her heart sank.

  ‘She’ll be here,’ Jasper whispered, patting her knee. ‘Don’t stress.’

  She hoped he was right, but until they’d begun the actual process of egg donation, until a fertilised embryo had been implanted into her uterus, Claire wasn’t sure she would be able to relax. She and Jasper had survived the two private counselling sessions required by the clinic, and Harper and her mysterious husband, Samuel, had also done theirs. Now they only had one mandatory group session to go before they could begin.

  Whenever she thought about what this process might result in, she felt like a kid at Christmas. This time next year they might be very close to becoming parents and that would be the greatest Christmas gift ever.

  The door whined as it opened and this time when she looked up she was rewarded with the sight of Harper stepping inside. She waved as Harper scanned the waiting room, her eyes lighting up when she saw them. In the few weeks since they’d met in person, they hadn’t seen each other again but they’d spoken on the phone a number of times, and weirdly, Harper now felt like an old friend.

  As Harper—looking all professional in a black pencil skirt, lilac business shirt and her shoulder-length brown hair immaculately straight—strode towards them, Claire and Jasper stood to greet her. They exchanged hugs and then Harper took the plastic seat next to Claire’s.

  ‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said. ‘I got held up at the station.’

  Claire and Jasper spoke as one. ‘Not a problem. We haven’t been called up yet.’

  ‘Oh good.’ Harper leant back in her seat as if to catch her breath.

  They’d decided on a fertility clinic in Sydney. Newcastle would have been closer for Jasper and Claire but their schedules were more flexible than Harper’s and they wanted to make things as easy as possible for her.

  ‘Could Samuel not make it?’ Jasper asked, leaning forward slightly to look past Claire.

  Harper shook her head. ‘Until this morning he was planning to, but some guy and his girlfriend had a fight last night and she ended up falling from their balcony. It looks like she might not make it and he’s been called in to represent the guy.’

  Jasper made a face. ‘Must take a special kind of person to stand up in court for criminals.’

  ‘Innocent until proven guilty,’ Claire said, giving him a pointed look. She didn’t want to offend Harper.

  Harper shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter, he’s given his consent, so we don’t need him here anyway.’

  Before either of them could reply, their names were called and they looked up to see their counsellor, Jessica Warren, waiting by the reception desk.

  ‘Good afternoon.’ Jessica greeted them and then indicated an open door halfway down a long corridor. She wasn’t one for small talk and although she smiled, no warmth emanated from her. Weren’t counsellors supposed to be warm and fuzzy people? This one was the opposite of everything Claire imagined she should be. But the bottom line was that this last session was just a formality—Jessica’s personality was neither here nor there.

  Once they were all in the office, Jessica shut the door and indicated they should take one of the two white leather couches. She lowered herself into an armchair and crossed her legs.

  ‘From our previous conversations, it’s clear that you all have a strong grasp of what is involved in donating and receiving eggs, so today we’re going to go over some of the legal and psychological issues relating to the process. Your situation is less common than most in that generally egg donors have already finished having their own family when they decide to donate. However,’ she paused for emphasis, ‘there are never any certainties in life, so we need to consider the possible relationship between any children conceived by the donor agreement and any children Harper and Samuel may subsequently have. I see he couldn’t join us today.’

  ‘I’ve already told you,’ Harper interrupted, her tone stern, ‘we don’t want to have children. Both of us are far too busy with work and we wouldn’t want to bring a child into the world when we wouldn’t have time to give them the attention they deserve. I promise you that is not going to change, so such a discussion is unnecessary.’

  Jessica pursed her lips together, then sighed. ‘Okay, then.’ She glanced down at her notes. ‘I see you’ve decided that the three of you and the child will keep in contact after he or she is born. Have you discussed how this contact will work?’

  They all nodded.

  ‘I’ll probably visit Claire and Jasper in the Hunter Valley once a year,’ Harper said.

  ‘And we come to Sydney at least every couple of months to see my parents and our friends, so we’ll try to catch up with Harper some of those times as well,’ Claire added.

  Jessica nodded and made a note on her clipboard. ‘And, Jasper and Claire, have you decided what you will tell the child about their origins?’

  ‘We want to be honest from the start,’ Jasper said. ‘We’ve read all the material you’ve given us and agree that the earlier our child knows where they came from, the easier it will be for them to come to terms with it. So we’ll be starting discussions when the child is about three or four.’

  ‘That’s good. And just remember that the most important thing for any child is a secure and loving relationship with their parents. If a child feels loved, they can handle almost anything.’

  Again they nodded. Claire just wanted to hurry this up.

  ‘There are a few final things that need to be considered before taking the next step,’ Jessica said. ‘I want to be sure you all understand your legal rights. Under Australian law, egg donors can withdraw or change their consent at any time prior to insemination or fertilisation of the eggs. After that, all financial and legal responsibilities are transferred to the recipient couple and the donor has no rights over the pregnancy or the child.’

  ‘We understand that,’ Harper said tersely, and Claire bit her lip to stifle a smile.

  ‘Good. And I want to make sure you also understand that Claire and Jasper will become guardians to any leftover embryos. They will be free to use them themselves for subsequent pregnancies, to donate them to another recipient or to destroy them.’

  Claire clenched her jaw. Did this woman think they were idiots? They knew all this. They’d done their research, sat through the obligatory counselling sessions and now they wanted to get on with it.

  As if sensing her frustration, Jasper put his hand on her knee again.

  Harper nodded. ‘I understand all of that and I trust Claire and Jasper will do whatever they feel is right. Whatever decision they make will be fine by me.’

  Claire smiled her thanks at Harper—she sometimes had to pinch herself when she thought about how lucky they were to have found her.

  A few more questions about their values and anticipated parenting styles—which Harper said were no concern of hers—and Jessica finally put her notes down. This time when she smiled it actually loo
ked like she meant it. ‘Well then,’ she said, ‘I’m confident you are all on the same page, so I wish you the absolute best as you go forward. Harper, this is a good thing you are doing, and Claire and Jasper, I can’t wait to hear news of your bundle of joy. Good luck.’

  That was it? Claire felt like leaping across the coffee table and throwing her arms around Jessica, but she turned to Jasper and hugged him instead. Then they both stood and hugged Harper. This might only be the beginning, but it felt like a moment to celebrate.

  After the counsellor dismissed them, they had a short wait before the fertility doctor called them into his office. Dr Ballantine—a white-haired, smiley man with a rounded tummy pressing against his grey shirt—welcomed them as if they were long-lost friends. He wore a tie covered in storks carrying babies and the walls of his office were plastered with baby photos, birth announcements and thank you cards. Claire couldn’t take her eyes off them.

  As they sat down, the doctor caught her looking and chuckled in a very Santa-like manner. ‘Aren’t they all gorgeous? Not long and your little boy or girl will be up there.’

  Claire sniffed and smiled back at him, unable to speak past the emotion that climbed into her throat at that thought. Would they have a boy or a girl? She didn’t care. As long as it was healthy, and theirs.

  Jasper squeezed her hand. ‘We’re really looking forward to that, doctor.’

  ‘Good good.’ Dr Ballantine leant back in his leather chair and folded his hands across his belly. ‘I want to start by congratulating all three of you for taking this big leap. I won’t pretend it’s going to be a walk in the park. Egg donation requires a huge commitment from both the donor and the recipient uterus, and you won’t get off scot-free either.’ He winked at Jasper. ‘Some of our dads get stage fright when it gets to the making love into a cup stage.’