Finally, it was our turn. We went in to see the doctor. He was a balding man who I could tell would be short when he stood up. He smiled warmly at us and welcomed us to sit down.
“How are we all today?” he asked.
“Doing well, can't complain,” Charlie said. I just smiled.
“And you,” he paused to look at his paperwork, “Brenna?” he asked.
“Fine, yeah.”
“I think both of you have a general idea of the way things are going to go?” he asked. Yeah, pretty much. We would both be tested for fertility, Charlie would have to give them a sperm sample at some point, they'd run their tests or whatever and then we’d come in for the actual implantation.
“I just want to know how soon we can get it all started,” Charlie said.
The doctor riffled through his paperwork again. “That’s understandable. You’re eager to start a family. There is a slight complication, however,” he said.
My spine curled inwards. “What?” I asked.
“Well, you were hoping to schedule the implantation soon, yes?”
“As soon as possible.”
“That’s right,” Charlie said.
“Well, I’m afraid that is impossible. According to our tests, Brenna, you are already pregnant.”
Someone hit pause right that second because everything froze. My breath, my heart, my mind, my whole life.
“What?” I asked.
“That can’t be right, doctor,” Charlie said. He turned and looked at me. Could it, I could almost hear him asking. I looked over at him and it was a mistake. He was flushed and his eyes were narrowed. He looked like he was about to both start a fight and pass out. He thought I had done something. He thought I was pregnant with someone else’s baby. I couldn’t take the time to appreciate what a great grift that would have been, provided I was the grifty type before the doctor spoke again.
“It’s not that far along, only about a couple of weeks. Very recent.”
“This has to be a mistake,” Charlie said.
“While her urine sample was enough to confirm it, her bloodwork will just show us the same thing. She’s definitely pregnant,” the doctor said. Charlie looked at me again. His face had softened but now he just looked confused.
“I’ll step out for a few moments; give you two sometime to discuss,” the doctor said. He walked out quietly. Charlie stood up and scoffed. He leaned against the doctor’s desk looking at me.
“I can't believe the subject of whether you are seeing anyone else hasn’t come up,” he said.
“Yeah, you just assumed that I wasn’t.”
His jaw tightened a little. “Are you?” he asked.
“No. I’m not. Why would I agree to do this with you if I was with another man already?”
“Why didn’t you tell me whether you were dating or not?”
“Not to displace responsibility but surely that information would matter more to you than to me. Not that it’s any of your business, but I haven’t dated for a year. I haven’t slept with anyone in longer.”
“Then the baby is mine,” Charlie said.
No, the baby is mine, I wanted to say. It was true, but what he said was true too. I remembered the time in the limo. That had to be it. We hadn't been intimate at any other point. The first time with Charlie after seven years in the back of a damn car and I got pregnant. I knew for a fact that so many women tried for months, even years to become pregnant naturally. I was irritated. I felt mad suddenly.
“That’s all you have to say?” I asked.
He looked quizzical. “What do you want to hear?”