“Tomorrow, I’m going Christmas tree shopping forFriendsmas…”
“What the fuck isFriendsmas?” he asked.
“It’s like Christmas, but with friends. We have all these events planned. It’sa whole annual thing that me and my girls do,” she explained.“Would you want to come?”
“I’lltry to fall through. Send me the details,” he replied.
“Can you do more than try?” she asked.
“I’llbe there,” he promised.“Have a good night.”
“You too,” she answered.
Chapter 8
December 20th
It’s about time you made the time to get in here. I swear doctors make the worst patients.”
Sloan clenched her teeth as her OBGYN probed her uterus.“I know. I’m always taking care of my own patients. I can’t remember the last time I took a personal day to take care of myself,” she said.
“Well, everything looks functional. Ovaries look good. Fallopian tubes are healthy. I do see a cyst,” she informed.
Sloan came up on her elbows, trying to see the monitor.
“There, you see the circumference?” Dr. Adams asked.
“Will I need surgery?” she asked.“I can clear my schedule to take care of it immediately…”
“You’re the patient. I’m the doctor,” Dr. Adams reminded her, chuckling.“If you’re thinking about transferring embryos, I’m not super enthusiastic to cut and disrupt your uterus. We’llmonitor it and see if the body re-absorbs the fluid. You can come back in a few weeks, and we’llsee what the body does naturally. If it grows, then we’llbegin to talk about surgery. I’llperform the pap and do the breast exam, and you should be good,” Dr. Adams said.
“How much of a window do I have to utilize the eggs we extracted?” Sloanasked.
Dr. Adams withdrew her probe and rolled away from the exam table, turning to wash her hands while Sloan sat up.
“Well, you froze your eggs early enough to give yourself a great chance to have a successful pregnancy. I will say that pregnancy is hard at your age, but science is truly advancing to where women in their 40s, and even into their late 40s, are having success bringing a baby to term. It’s my personal belief that it’s much easier on the body, and safer for you, if we figure this out over the next two years.”
Sloan felt so much pressure.
“This would be so much easier if there was a man in my life who wanted to do this with me. How do you balance your career with your family? You were lucky, Dana. You met your husband in medical school. I want a baby so bad. I can’t see myself not experiencing motherhood, but I’m not even dating anyone.”
“There are other options, Sloan. There are plenty of sperm donors,” Dr. Adams advised sympathetically.
“That feels unnatural. It already feels like a science experiment, but not knowing my child’s father? Not being able to tell my child where they come from or having a co-parent to lean on? It just doesn’t feel right,” she said. Her voice broke as she became lost in overwhelm.“I just waited too late to think about love and children. What if it never happens for me?” she cried.
“There are all types of families. Familiesaren’t just nuclear anymore. Stop subscribing to some tradition in your head. If you want a baby, have one. I can recommend a place that has a higher percentage of Black donors if that’simportant to you,” Dr. Adams said.
Sloan nodded.
“I’llthink about it.”
Dr. Adams handed her some brochures on In vitro fertilization and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Let me know. I’m here to help. The nurse at the front will get you checked out.”
Sloan cleaned up and made her way to her car. She wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone, but she had a full day ahead of her. They were driving an hour north to go to the Christmas Tree Farm. They were meeting at Shy’s house, and she was already running behind. Thank God she was already dressed for the occasion in the outfit Shy had demanded they all buy. She prayed the gold foil Moncler ski jacket, Louis Vuitton winter boots, and black tights kept her warm. Sloan was cute as fuck, but she feared they would freeze while traipsing through the snow. She took the hour’s drive to Shy’s house. When she pulled up, she marveled at the opulence of the mini-mansion in front of her. She hadn’t been to Shy’s home since she had purchased it a few months ago. Shy had insisted on waiting until her housewarming to show it off. She climbed out of her truck, noticing that everyone else had already arrived.
Sloan grabbed her gloves, the bottle of tequila she had been tasked to bring, and her handbag, then rushed up the walkway.
