The Surrogate

After Joyce left Christy she headed to he husband's office and barged right in. As usual, she found him with his head buried deep into some files.

He looked up when she entered, checking out what she was wearing. He had to give her credit, she always dressed up no matter where she was going. Not a hair was out of place and her make-up looked like it was applied by a professional. "Joyce, I'm a little busy here."

She went over and sat on the edge of his desk, crossing one leg over the other. "You're always busy."

"What do you want?"

"Have you started looking for a surrogate yet?"

"No, why?"

"I have found the perfect girl to be our surrogate." She said, smiling at him. "She's twenty-one, single and is looking for a job. Poor thing came here looking for a job in the cafeteria but they already hired someone."

He sat back in his chair and looked at her. "What else do you know about her?"

"Nothing, but who cares? She's desperate for money and looks healthy and can carry a baby for us. What else is there to know?"

He could feel the anger building up inside him. "There are a lot of things to know, like does she have a criminal or any mental issues? You have no idea who she is or if she's dangerous. You and I haven't even discussed the details about using a surrogate."

"Oh, Cole, I will let you handle all of that."

He got up and going over to the coffee machine poured himself a coffee, he would have offered her one but she had always declined in the past. "We can't just hire someone off the street. It has to be done right, through the proper channel."

"Oh, why are you always like this?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you always have to make a big deal out of everything. Like when we were doing some changes around the house you had to check out the workers, go over the contracts and it takes you forever to pick someone."

"That's because if I left it to you, you would pick the first one and never gives it a second thought as to whether they are any good or what it would cost. Money does not grow on trees and I work really hard for what I make."

"You're such a cheapskate."

"Cheapskate! The way I let you spend money I would hardly call me that. Maybe if you had ever worked a day in your life you might appreciate it more."

She got to her feet and looked at him in anger. "Look, it was you that wanted a kid so I'm trying to give you what you want. I'm not even sure if she will do it. I told her to think about it and give me a call. You could at least meet with her if she accepts my offer, and I think she will. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her we'd pay five hundred thousand dollars."

He almost choked on his coffee when he heard that. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Hiring a surrogate isn't cheap."

He knew that was true, but to hire someone off the street sounded a bit sketchy. "I think it would be better to go through the proper channels, like a surrogacy agency. That way it would only cost around ninety thousand up to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars."

"Sure, if you want to wait forever, this way we can do it right away," she said, checking her make-up in the mirror.

He was so tired of arguing with her and he had surgery to get to. "Fine, if this woman calls you I'll meet with her. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a patient waiting for me." He was glad when she left so that he could think over the idea of hiring someone he hadn't met to carry his baby. But one thing he knew for sure was that after meeting her he would have her checked out. He wanted to make sure she was clean and not a con artist.

****************************************

Christy thought long and hard about the offer to be a surrogate. It was something she never thought of doing, but then again it would be nice to give a couple who wanted a baby and couldn't have one of their own. So in a way, she would not only be helping herself but also be helping someone else. She loved children and was hoping to have a couple herself someday, but right now she had no one in her life and was on the brink of being put out on the street. So, picking up the phone she made the call that would change her life forever.

"Mrs. Mason, it's Christy Grant. I've given your proposal a great deal of thought and if you still need a surrogate I'd be happy to do it."

"Wonderful, I'm so glad to hear that. My husband will want to meet you first and discuss the details. I'll have him call you and arrange to meet with you. Don't be offended by his attitude when you meet him. He will ask you all kinds of questions, personal ones as well. He can be such a drill sergeant at times. Bye Christy, hope to see you soon."

She was a little confused by the woman's attitude on the phone. There was no excitement in her voice, it was like she couldn't care. It also bothered her how Joyce was talking about her husband, the baby she wanted to have a baby with. Then again she figured maybe Joyce didn't want to get her hopes up so was hiding her feelings.

When she got off the phone there was a knock at her door and opening it her landlord was standing there. "Mr. James." She liked him, he was an older man and very nice and was always so understanding when she was late with her rent.

"Christy, do you have your rent for this month?"

"I'm sorry, I lost my job and haven't received my last paycheck yet. The restaurant closed down and I was told they would be sending me a cheque in the mail, but I'm not sure when."

"Christy, I can't keep letting you get away with being late or the other tenants will want me to do the same for them. I can give you another two weeks to come up with it or I'm going to have to evict you."

She held back the tears, knowing he'd have no choice. "I understand and I'll do what I can." She closed the door when he left and sat down, crying. She would have called her parents for help but knew they were still angry with her and wouldn't even bother to answer her if she did call.

It dawned on her that Joyce's husband might not like her and wouldn't want her as their surrogate. Whether or not he did she still had to find a job to survive until she got paid since she didn't have a clue how the process worked. Like would they wait until the baby was born or if she would receive a down payment? Wiping away her tears she got ready to go job hunting, filling out several job applications and dropping them off.

Some places said they weren't hiring, others said she wasn't qualified and the only place willing to hire her was a strip joint. No way was she going to be a stripper no matter how hard up she was. Not having any success she took her last twenty dollars and bought what little groceries she could afford.

***************************************

Later that night when Cole got home Joyce was waiting up for him.

"It's about time you got home," she snapped as soon as he walked in.

He was so tired by the time he got home, that he wasn't in the mood to fight. "Damn it, Joyce, I've had a bad day. I lost a patient today on the table so I don't need you yelling at me."

"Oh, for heaven sakes, you can't save everyone and you did say he was old."

He removed his tie and jacket, throwing them on the chair. "How can you be so cold? I don't suppose there's any dinner."

"I didn't have time to make any."

"Was there something you wanted?" he asked when she followed him into the kitchen and started making himself a sandwich.

"There is, Christy Grant called me back."

He frowned, trying to remember where he heard that name before. "Who?"

"You never remember anything I tell you. Christy, the woman who I asked to be our surrogate. She called and said she would love to have our baby. I told her that you would call and meet her to discuss the terms."

He looked at her and swallowed the piece of the sandwich he was eating. "You mean us, don't you?"

"I'm going away for two weeks with my friends so you'll have to do it. I already told you she would be perfect. I don't need to be there when you grill her about her life. You can be so tedious at times and I have to desire to hear you go on and on with your questions."

"When did you plan this trip and why am I just hearing about it now?"

"Just the other day and I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hear you complaining about how I'm always going on trips with my friends. Cole, you're always working and never home so you won't even miss me."

"We're planning on starting a family, don't you think we should start working on our marriage before bringing a baby into our lives? Why don't you wait and as soon as I can arrange it we'll take a trip together."

"You've been saying that for a long time now and something always comes up. Besides, I can more fun with my friends."

"Joyce, why did you ever want to marry me?"

"I wanted to be a doctor's wife. I wanted the perks that go with it, the money, trips and respect from others."

"Do you love me, did you ever love me?"

She rolled her eyes at him and scuffed. "It's not as if you were in love with me, you only did it because you thought I was pregnant." She saw the look in his eyes and knew she had gone too far. Not wanting to lose everything she had now had to act quick. "Cole, you know I was very fond of you and I'm sure once the baby comes we'll grow closer."

"Closer, yes, but what about love?" He knew she was right, he wasn't in love with her when they got married. But he didn't believe in divorce and wanted to make things work between them. He hoped in time they would grow to love each other.

She had to play her cards right in order not to lose him. Going over she put her arms around his neck, reached up and kissed him. "Call Christy tomorrow and set things up. The sooner we start a family the sooner things will get better between us."

He kissed her back, feeling his member getting hard. It had been so long since they had sex and he was in desperate need of some. But hen he felt her hands on his chest as she pushed him away.

"I'm sorry, Cole, but I'm on my period."

"Of course you are," he said, moving away from her. In the back of his mind, he was thinking she was lying to him, it wouldn't be the first time. "Answer me something, when was the last time we had sex?"

"I don't know, a while I guess."

"A while, it's been over a year now. Every time I try you push me away with one excuse after another."

"What do you want from me? You're never home and when you are you're always so tired or going over your patient's charts. If you're that horny use your hand to relieve yourself as I do with one of my toys."

"It's not the same as physical contact. Damn it, I'm a man and I need to feel a woman's touch, her lips, her body and to be inside her."

She chuckled. "Funny, you said a woman's touch, not your wife's touch. So my dear husband, why don't you go fuck someone else?"

"I have never cheated on you nor will I ever, that's not the kind of man I am. I need a stiff drink," he said, walking past her into the living room. Going over to the liquor cabinet he poured himself some whiskey. He was beginning to think that having a baby with Joyce was a mistake.

"If you're going to sit here drinking I'm going to bed. I have an early flight tomorrow so call me when you've had a chance to talk to Christy."

He sat down on the sofa, looking at the phone number she had handed him. Part of him wanted to tear it up, another part wanted to try and make his marriage work and having a surrogate might be the answer. One of his patients once told him how he wasn't in love with his wife but as soon as they had a baby everything changed. They had fallen deeply in love and after twenty years of marriage were still deeply in love. So he was sure there was hope for them.

Yes, he would take a leap of faith and call this woman and find out if she was suited to carry his baby. He was also curious as to what kind of woman would carry another couple's baby for them and if she was doing it for the money.