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Trish's Heartbreak
"Did you really need me to come with you?"
Trish sucked some breath in between her teeth, trying to check her temper. She and Randy were just entering the doors to the fertility clinic her OB-GYN had recommended. It was probably the tenth time he had asked her that question, and she was finally beginning to lose her patience.
"Yes, Randy," she said.
"'Cause I could have been working today, you know," he said.
"It's called moral support," Trish said firmly as she stopped in her tracks to shoot her husband a look.
Randy eyed her and shut his mouth in a hurry. With resignation, he put up his hands.
"Dr. Wu is supposed to be wonderful," she said, changing the subject. "Hopefully, she can make some miracles happen for us."
"Hopefully," Randy echoed. He pushed the frosted glass door open, holding it so his wife could enter first.
Trish strode over to the reception desk and smiled.
"My name is Trish Orton... I have a four-thirty appointment with Dr. Wu."
"All right," the receptionist said. "Your first time here?"
"Yes."
The woman pushed a clipboard toward Trish.
"Fill this out, and I need your prescription card, please."
The blonde reached into her purse, fishing around for her wallet. She came back up with the item in question and handed it to the receptionist before taking the clipboard.
Trish joined Randy where he was already seated beside a small end table covered with magazines. He was browsing through the selection, apparently not finding anything of interest.
"Aww... Look at how cute!" Trish exclaimed. She gestured to one issue of Parents that had a beautiful baby adorning the cover. She smiled as hope surged through her. "We'll have one of our own soon enough," she said softly. "I know this appointment is going to turn out to be the answer to our prayers."
Her husband gazed at her and smiled. She was absolutely infectious with her optimism. Plus, she had just about the cutest smile he'd ever seen. He kissed her head as she began to fill out her information on the form the receptionist had given her.
Moments later, after Trish had finished and handed the clipboard back, she and Randy talked quietly about the baby they would have in the future.
"I want our first child to be a girl. It would be so great to have a little carbon copy of you, Trish."
She beamed at him, following that with a kiss she planted on his lips.
"Trish Orton?"
The couple stopped, both looking up simultaneously. Trish couldn't help but offer a small, nervous smile.
"Yes - that's me."
"The doctor is ready to see you now," the receptionist said.
"Thank you." The blonde grabbed hold of her husband's hand, practically pulling him along in the direction of the office, to which they were pointed.
Dr. Christine Wu was fairly young, in her late thirties or early forties, attractive and petite.
"Hello... Ms. Orton, Mr. Orton, it's a pleasure. I'm Dr. Wu." The physician offered her hand to each of them in turn.
"Nice to meet you," Trish said with a warm smile as she took a seat. This time, she felt perfectly at ease. The woman before her possessed such an amazing, confident air about her. She knew she was in good hands and felt nothing but positive vibes. This time was going to be different - she could feel it, not only in her gut but in her soul.
*
Trish finished getting dressed and sighed. For the first time since meeting Dr. Wu, she felt a bit nervous. She supposed it was a normal reaction, even when things were going to be exactly as they should be, with everything great.
She closed her eyes as she let out a deeply held breath to calm her nerves. Mentally, she told herself to relax... Everything was going to be just fine. Dr. Wu was a miracle worker. It was something she instinctively felt.
Trish squared her shoulders and sauntered out of the examination room. She'd been told to return to the waiting room for awhile until the doctor was ready for her again, so she joined Randy on the couch.
"How did it go?" he asked, an expectant look on his face.
Trish grinned and thought how appropriate his facial expression was. She nodded with enthusiasm.
"Very well!" she gushed. "Dr. Wu is doing some tests right now. We have to wait awhile and then we can see her again."
"I hope it's soon," Randy said, managing to hold back a groan. "It's dinner time."
"Oh, honey..."
He felt sheepish at the look his wife was giving him. Nonetheless, the man shrugged.
"Don't blame me, blame my stomach."
Trish laughed softly and playfully swatted at him. Her lips met his for a quick but sweet kiss.
They were still nose-to-nose, smiling at one another, when the receptionist called them back.
"Thank you for waiting," Dr. Wu said cordially as she gestured for them to sit down.
"Of course," the blonde said. "What's the verdict, doctor?"
Wu faced them seriously.
"You have a high level of acidity, according to your tests."
"What does that mean?"
"It means your body attacks sperm... Women with this condition typically have up to a fifteen percent chance of conceiving," the physician explained.
Trish felt her heart just about stop. Had she heard the woman correctly? Fifteen percent chance of ever getting pregnant? That couldn't be! It just couldn't! She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. She glanced over at Randy, whose face was a mask of concern. And it was he who did the honors.
"Doctor, is there anything we can do to beat those odds?" he asked.
"My recommendation," the woman replied, "is to look into in-vitro immediately."
The man nodded as he gazed over at his wife. She looked absolutely stricken.
"Okay... Thank you."
Moments later, the couple left the clinic. Trish's head was down as she was deep in thought, all of Dr. Wu's words swirling through her head. She couldn't believe it... It felt like a huge, horrible nightmare from which she could awaken at any moment - only she knew it was reality. She could barely feel anything, even Randy's hand in spite of the fact that it was holding hers.
"Randy...!" Suddenly, she could hold back no more as the tears came gushing forth. All of what she'd just absorbed bowled her over like an overheated pressure cooker.
"Hey, come here." Randy gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly and gently, slowly rocking her. He let his wife pour it all out, stroking her hair as he tried his best to comfort her.
"It'll all be all right... We'll do this in-vitro thing, and it will work."
Trish looked up into his blue eyes tearfully, a tiny spark of hope on her face.
"Really?"
"Really. And we'll have our baby. Come on... Let's go home."
As she held onto his hand as they walked to their car, Trish felt a lot better. Randy was right... He had to be.