Chapter 6 DOCTOR TOM

CHAPTER 5

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The next day, Jason had his PA sit through the meetings he had and stay on call throughout. The Zoom meeting had gone well. He was rounding off when his wife woke up. Doctor Tom came to check her vitals.

"She is doing great, but..."

"I know." Jason replied. His wife was dying and it was his fault. If only he hadn't agreed to them having kids, all these wouldn't have started.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Being with her helps. You need all the things you can get together." Doctor Tom replied.

"Okay, Doc."

Jason watched his wife sleeping. They had agreed not to have kids until they were both ready, when they got married. She had wanted to pursue her career and he let her. Though he wanted his own kids, he loved his wife enough to compromise a few years. Ellen wanted to be an Air hostess. Meeting Valdez finally gave her the chance and she took it.

All was going well. But then his wife found out he loved kids. She made him believe he craved kids around merely by watching him with other people's kids. So, even though she hadn't gotten to the peak of her career as air hostess after six years of marriage, she was ready to start a family. He had been ecstatic the day she announced she was pregnant. He had bought baby items in a day and stock up a whole room with them. His wife had been shocked but happy she was right in taking the decision. He did want kids.

But they had lost the pregnancy during the first trimester. The couple had been devastated but unrelenting. They tried again and she was pregnant two months later. Then it happened again and again. After losing their baby the third time, Jason told the doctor to run several deep tests. And that was when it was discovered that his wife had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). It was treatable, but his wife's had been there so long it had resulted in womb cancer. He was too glad to drop the child bearing issue and have her treated. But it had been too late.

Sad she couldn't give her husband the one thing he wanted, Ellen Valdez had tried to get them to adopt a child at least. "But you're on sick bed. Who would take care of the child?" He asked

"You'd do a fine job." She told him.

"A child needs both parents; a father's guide and a mother's love." He explained, totally not buying the idea. He wasn't about to let a child run about not catered for like he had been while growing up. Ellen understood and dropped the idea.

The next day, his wife came up with another solution. "Surrogacy?" He asked when she mentioned it casually. "I don't like the sound of that."

"It's beautiful really. My eggs, your sperm and a borrowed womb." She told him and insisted on it.

With no choice, he had gone with her to the family doctor who had explained the procedure. And they decided to give it a trial. He however insisted on having the surrogate mother selected personally not a random face on the internet. He wanted someone he could meet and test her IQ, neatness, among others. But first, their eggs and sperm were to be collected and tested. The result came back terrible. His wife's eggs couldn't be used. This time, she was devastated. Personally, he could handle that. If she wasn't, he was sure she had come with another annoying concept soon. He had been wrong. Though devastated, his wife decided they should go ahead with the surrogacy. "Maybe not my eggs, but your sperm."

"It's possible to get egg donors." The doctor agreed.

Jason watched them like they were talking strange. He protested, pointing out different flaws, but the doctor had answer for every doubt he had. Finally, boxed in a corner as usual, he agreed.

"On one condition." He added

"There's always a condition." His wife joked, "What?"

"The egg donor and possible surrogate shouldn't be online. I want you to hand pick the person." He told the doctor, "You'll get to run several tests."

"That's workable." Doctor Tom agreed.

"And pick smart people please. I want an intelligent kid." He smiled.

That was before his wife became really sick and was now battling for her life. She was withering away from his life and he had no way to stop it. He nodded his head in greeting as the doctor started to leave but his wife reached for him.

"Stay." She said. "I want you here when I say this to Jase." She was helped to sit up. Well settled in, Ellen looked at her husband with all the love she had for him.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Promise me Jase." She began. A deep cough reeked her for almost a minute. The doctor passed Jason a cup of water. Lifting her up gently, he helped her drink a few gulps then gave the doctor back the cup.

"Must you do this now? You need to rest." Jason said parting down her hair.

"You have to promise me to see through getting our child."

Jason sighed, a child was the last thing on his mind right now. "If it's not with you, I don't want." He told her stubbornly.

"You have to. Doc, please find him someone." She helped herself up. "Matter of fact, I might have someone for you. Evangeline. The woman on the plane." Ellen told him. She had been thinking about the pretty blond since she heard her murmuring while sleeping. She had been saying something about being betrayed be a friend.

Ellen felt pitching her with Jason would help her husband. The young woman could be what her husband need to get through the pain he was about to experience. Her demise was imminent. Anytime now and she'd be gone. The Doctor had predicted a month. So, she had to piece her home together.

"Who? Hell, no." He said, rejecting the suggestion vehemently.

"She's intelligent and beautiful. And she's smart too." His wife insisted.

And wears her heart on her face! He had seen the tears she brushed off when she thought he wasn't looking, "And you know all this in what...ten minutes with her?"

"I knew her more than that, Jason." She told him casually. "She mutters in her sleep a lot, really."

Her husband's raised brow suggested he didn't believe her. "You were in the restroom then. Then she came here the other day too. Even if it was a brief meeting both times, it was quite enough for me to get my facts right."

"She's rich. Her family is well known around here."

Jason's reply made his wife smile. "I asked my PI to check her up." He explained.

When Evangeline had mentioned her name when his wife asked, he had sent the name to his PI to get her facts. He was surprised to know she came from old wealth and was doing well in Los Angeles. He had been sent every of her file from business dealings down to family and relationships. He knew also about her recent breakup.

"She wouldn't take the offer." He dismissed casually." Only poor women goes for surrogacy."

His wife laughed out loud. It was good to see her happy, "I can see your notion of surrogacy is backward." She teased. "You never can tell. Surrogacy isn't only for the poor. People do things for different reasons. She might have a reason."

"Who is this woman?" Doctor Tom asked.

"Evangeline Swiss."

"Ah, the Swiss."

"You know them." Jason noted, "See what I mean."

"Yes, they are rich but then Mrs Valdez has a point. She could be the right candidate after all."

"Doctor, please don't encourage my wife on this again."

"I mean, given their family history, she might want to try. Her sister had no child for five years. I think her mother was pretty much the same too." Doctor Tom explained. He informed them he was close to the Swiss and could bring it up to Evan if the two decides to have her be the surrogate. He excused himself and let the couple talk

"See?" His wife was excited and he didn't want to disappoint her so he kept quiet. The instant the doctor left, she asked him. "You had her investigated, didn't you?"

"Yes." He confessed, "She gets on my nerves with her teary face."

Whatever made him do it, Ellen smiled and hoped that something good will come out of it all.