“That’s normal too. Cramping is expected after retrieval. We’ll get you some Tylenol before you leave.” She smiled. “You did great, by the way.”
I looked at her.
“We retrieved fourteen eggs,” she said. “That’s excellent for your age and hormone levels. Dr. Beaumont is very pleased.”
Fourteen.
The number sat in my chest like a stone.
Fourteen pieces of myself.
Fourteen chances.
Fourteen possibilities.
I nodded slowly.
“The embryologist will fertilize them tonight,” the nurse continued. “Dr. Beaumont will call you in a few days with an update on how many fertilized and how they’re developing. For now, you just need to rest.”
“Okay.”
She adjusted the IV and checked my blood pressure one more time.
“I’ll be back in about twenty minutes to see if you’re ready to go home. Do you have someone here to pick you up?”
I hesitated.
“Yeah,” I said finally. “I do.”
She smiled again. “Good. Just rest for now.”
She left.
The door clicked shut behind her.
And I was alone.
The machines beeped.
The fluorescent lights hummed.
The ache in my abdomen pulsed in time with my heartbeat.
And suddenly—without warning—I started crying.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just quiet tears sliding down my temples into my hair.
I wasn’t sad.
I wasn’t scared.
I was just?—
Overwhelmed.
