Yep, there was something wrong with me.
“Hey, come in. No lawyer?” I had assumed she would bring someone to have her back.
“I didn’t feel a need to—” She broke off as she spied Lauren waving from the couch. “Hey, Lo.”
That sounded kind of familiar. Having not lived in Chicago for several years, I wasn’t completely up on who knew who or how strong the connections were amongst my friend and family group in my hometown.
“Franks! So good to see you.”
Franks? Lauren and the doc hugged, and I realized I was behind the eight ball.
“Didn’t realize you guys were pals.”
“Of course we are. Game watch and book club buddies.” Lauren winked at me, then turned back to Franky. “This combo is kind of blowing my mind, girl.”
“You’re not alone there,” Franky said with a quick glance at me. “So, Lauren’s your wing person?”
“Yep. If you’d rather wait until you have someone at your back?—”
“No, not at all. I had a lawyer draft it, so the basics are there. Anything else, we can negotiate. And I know Lauren is your friend and agent, but I trust her to help us both.” She extracted a sheaf of papers from her leather briefcase. “Shall we start?”
“I don’t see why I shouldn’t be paying for the medical care. For the pregnancy and for the kid.”
Franky folded her arms. “You can put money in the trust and we can draw from that, should we need to. But as the child will be living with me full-time, it makes sense that they’re on my health insurance plan.”
“Even though mine is probably better.”
Franky shot a quick glance at Lauren. “Seems persnickety.”
Lauren shrugged. “I agree with Franky. The living arrangements should determine the dependents and thus, the health insurance issues. The trust you both set up for the kid seems like a good way to handle anything that falls outside those parameters. I also agree that Franky’s pre-natal care should be covered by her own insurance and not out of pocket for you, Jason.”
We had hashed out most of the sticking points: holidays, parental rights, health screening of both parents prior to conception. The financial stuff was important to me, but I also recognized that Franky was independent and financially stable. There was no doubt the kid would be well provided for.
We still hadn’t discussed how this conception would occur. The contract specified artificial insemination, so I needed to know exactly what that meant.
“As for the logistics of the donation—can we talk about that?”
Franky sat up a little straighter, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks. “Of course. What did you need to know?”
“Is this happening at a clinic?”
“Well, it could, if you want to do it that way. But …” She eyed Lauren, who had picked up the contract and was reading it upside down. “I’d rather do it in my apartment. Home insemination.”
“But not the natural way?”
“If you mean sexual intercourse, then no. There’s no evidence in the literature that penile penetration improves the chances of conception.”
Penile penetration? My penile penetrator liked that idea. Or maybe I liked how those big words sounded out of that smart mouth.
“So I come over to your place with my donation?—”
“Actually, you would come pre-donation … as in arrive at my apartment before you’ve masturbated.”
“And I’m out.” Lauren stood and grabbed her purse. “I think we have the legal stuff worked out. You guys can discuss the specifics that do not need to be detailed in written form.”
I grinned up at my friend. “Thanks for sticking around until it got awkward.”
She grinned back and bent to kiss Franky on the cheek. “I can stay if you’d prefer.” She added, “no offense,” to me.
