Chapter 175: The First Five Days

The following days were worse.

Alexander had assumed fertilization would be the stressful part.

He’d been wrong.

Now they had to wait and see which embryos continued developing.

Alexander couldn’t do anything about it. No phone call he could make or specialist he could hire to convince microscopic collections of cells to keep dividing simply because Alexander Vance would very much appreciate their cooperation.

Nature had taken over.

Alexander hated having no control.

Giovanni was worse.

He simply hid it better.

Every morning, one of them received an update.

Then they called the other.

Nine became eight.

Eight became seven.

By the fourth day, one more had stopped developing.

Six remained under observation.

The clinic had prepared them for attrition from the beginning. Alexander understood that intellectually.

Emotionally, it was apparently another matter.

Neither he nor Giovanni called the embryos babies.

They weren’t.

But Alexander remembered every number anyway.

On the fifth morning, Giovanni came to the ancestral property instead of going directly to Mercer Group.

Alexander found him outside the temporary office with two coffees.

"You have a company."

"So do you."

"I have a workshop."

"Exactly."

Alexander took one of the coffees.

Neither of them mentioned that the fertility center was expected to call that morning.

They attempted to work.

At nine seventeen, Alexander’s phone rang.

Both men froze.

Alexander looked at the screen.

Fertility center.

Giovanni stood.

"Speaker."

Alexander answered.

"Good morning."

The embryologist greeted them, then moved into the update.

Two embryos from Alexander’s group had developed to a stage and quality suitable for cryopreservation that day.

Alexander’s fingers tightened around the phone.

Two.

A third was still developing and would remain under observation for another day.

Then came Giovanni’s group.

Two had also reached the appropriate stage for freezing.

Another would remain under observation.

Four embryos were ready for cryopreservation.

Possibly more tomorrow.

The embryologist continued explaining their development, storage, and what would happen with the two still under observation.

Alexander listened.

Mostly.

But his attention kept returning to one thing.

Four.

When the call ended, the office became quiet.

Giovanni remained standing beside the desk.

Alexander slowly put down his phone.

"Four."

Giovanni nodded.

"Four."

Two were genetically related to Alexander.

Two were genetically related to Giovanni.

All four came from the same donor.

Alexander stared at the report.

They’d researched this.

Signed paperwork.

Paid bills.

Discussed fertilization and embryo storage like rational adults.

None of that had prepared him for knowing that four embryos now existed because they’d decided they wanted a family together.

One might someday become their child.

Perhaps two would.

Maybe none would.

There were still no guarantees.

But for the first time, something tangible was attached to all those conversations about someday.

Giovanni sat beside him.

Neither spoke for a while.

Eventually, Alexander said, "This is weird."

"Yes."

"I feel like we should celebrate."

"We can."

"But they’re microscopic."

Giovanni looked at him.

"I don’t think size determines whether we’re allowed to be happy."

Alexander smiled faintly.

"No."

He looked down at the storage information.

"Do you think it’s ridiculous that I’m already wondering which one might become our first child?"

"No."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

That answer came far too quickly.

Alexander turned.

Giovanni was staring at the same paperwork.

"Which one?"

"I don’t know."

"Mine or yours?"

"I don’t care."

Alexander believed him.

That was probably what affected him most.

Giovanni didn’t ask which embryos had better grades or care which of them would have the first biological connection.

He simply looked at the four embryos listed on the report as though each one already belonged to both of them.

Alexander swallowed.

"If we have two children..."

"One could be biologically yours and one mine."

"That was the plan."

Alexander hesitated.

"What if the first transfer doesn’t work?"

"Then we try again."

"And if we need more embryos?"

"We make more."

"What if..."

Giovanni reached over and took his hand.

Alexander stopped.

"We’ll deal with whatever happens when it happens."

"That sounds suspiciously reasonable."

"Terrible habit."

Alexander looked down at their hands, then squeezed Giovanni’s.

For now, they had four.

That was enough to be happy about.

The fertility center called the following afternoon again.

One of the two embryos they’d been watching had developed sufficiently to join the others.

Giovanni’s.

Five embryos.

That became their final number from the cycle.

Three from Giovanni’s group.

Two from Alexander’s.

Five embryos cryopreserved.

When Alexander received the final report, he stared at it for a long time.

Then he sent Giovanni a message.

Congratulations. You won.

The reply came in less than a minute.

Won what?

Three to two.

There was a pause.

Then:

I thought we weren’t competing.

Alexander smiled.

Your swimmers started it.

His phone rang immediately.

Alexander answered while laughing.

"You’re ridiculous," Giovanni said.

"You called me."

"To tell you that’s not how any of this works."

"Three to two."

"They’re our embryos."

The teasing left Alexander almost immediately.

He looked down at the report again.

Five identification numbers.

Five embryos stored safely at the fertility center.

Ours.

Not his.

Not Giovanni’s.

Theirs.

"You’re right."

Giovanni became quiet.

Alexander traced a number with his finger.

"Gio?"

"Yes?"

"We actually did it."

"We did part of it."

Alexander smiled.

Of course Giovanni would make that distinction.

They weren’t at the end.

But they weren’t standing at the beginning anymore either.

Somewhere inside a cryogenic storage system were five embryos that hadn’t existed a week ago.

Five possibilities for the family they’d started talking about almost casually.

Alexander thought about the Marriage Bureau.

About waiting alone until closing.

About going home with his humiliation spreading across the internet.

At the time, he’d thought the future he’d spent years preparing for had disappeared in a single day.

Maybe it had.

Because this wasn’t that future.

This one had Giovanni in it.

And five frozen embryos.

Alexander smiled.

"When are you coming home?"

"Soon."

"Good."

"Why?"

"We should celebrate."

Giovanni paused.

"Dinner?"

"Dinner."

"Champagne?"

Alexander considered it.

"Five embryos seem champagne-worthy."

"I’ll bring one."

Alexander looked down at the report one last time.

"Gio?"

"Yes?"

"Bring two."

There was a brief silence.

Then Giovanni laughed.

"All right."

Alexander ended the call and carefully returned the report to its folder.

For once, he didn’t feel like researching the next step.

Whatever came after this could wait until tomorrow.

Tonight, they had five reasons to celebrate.