Harriet gently set Sydney down in her playpen, stood up straight, and tilted her head, looking between Sydney and her wife. She frowned as she walked toward the kitchen counter, noticing Zoey holding her tablet, sipping on hot chocolate as she checked something on the screen.
"What did you just say, sweetheart?" Harriet asked, positioning herself behind Zoey and wrapping her arms around her. "I might have misheard you."
Zoey chuckled, putting down her cup and pointing to the screen of her tablet. "This," she said. "Do you want us to try?"
Harriet furrowed her brow as she read the article on Zoey's tablet. "Pre-implementation genetic testing? Tandem IVF? Spindle Nuclear Transfer?" she repeated, confused. "Wait, sweetheart, this is about pregnancy... why are youâ"
Zoey turned around, gently loosening Harriet's hug. She smiled. "And I'm asking if you want to try these methods?" she asked again.
Harriet blinked, still trying to process. "Sweetheart, didn't we agree I won't push you if you don't want to get pregnant? I mean, I understand the heart transplant situation, and we've always talked about adoptionâ"
"I know," Zoey replied, still smiling as she glanced at Sydney, playing in the playpen with her nanny's supervision. "We discussed it before we even got married. I remember that clearly," Zoey said, cupping Harriet's cheeks.
"Then why are we talking about this again? I'm fine with not having biological children," Harriet said, her voice tinged with confusion.
Zoey sighed softly. "I just realized... maybe we should try?" she said, searching Harriet's face for any sign of discomfort.
Harriet looked at her, still processing. "And what's gotten into you to want to try? I don't mean to sound rude, sweetheart, I'm just concerned. Don't misinterpret this, okay?" she said, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she gently stroked Zoey's arm.
Zoey nodded, gently pressing her palm to Harriet's cheeks. "I know, but with the research and advancements in technology, we can try PGT," Zoey said. "It helps reduce the chances of passing on genetic heart disease by eliminating certain embryos. So, I was thinking... maybe we give it a shot? Just one attempt for a healthy baby?"
Harriet's brow furrowed as she asked, "And who will bear the child?"
"Me," Zoey said with a smile. "I mean, you're a surgeon, and I know you're not really into the idea of pregnancyâ"
Harriet cut her off, her gaze dropping as she avoided eye contact. "I can bear it if you want to try," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Zoey scoffed, her lips curling into a playful smile as she gently rubbed Harriet's shoulders, as if giving her a massage. "No," she replied firmly but tenderly. "You're a surgeon. You're vital to the hospital. I can carry the child, if we want to try. But if it doesn't work, maybe it just wasn't meant to be our biological child at all."
"Sydney's almost two, sweetheart," Harriet said, pulling Zoey closer by the waist. "And even if we did try, there's no guarantee the heart disease would be completely eliminated. PGT may minimize the risk, but I'm still worried about you. I mean, can you do it? If it works, I'd want you to stop working, you know?"
Zoey blinked, surprised. "Why would I need to stop working? As in permanently?"
Harriet scoffed. "Not permanently, but if we do this, I need to make sure you won't be stressed. I won't risk you over something like this, Zoey. I've had my fair share of scares, and I'm not doing that again. You know I need youâand Sydney, too."
Zoey smiled softly. "You're not going to lose me," she reassured Harriet. "Look, I've got savings and other income streams. I can help with the financials for the trial and testing. We won't jump into the implementation right away, right? We'll do the genetic testing first. What do you think?"
Harriet exhaled deeply, her expression still uncertain. "Do you really want to try this? Can you handle it?"
Zoey nodded, her eyes soft with sincerity. "I do want to try. But do you want to try? If it's not something you're comfortable with, then we won't."
Harriet pulled Zoey into a tight hug, her voice low and gentle. "It's fine. If that's what you want, we can try. But whatever happens, whether it's a successful pregnancy or not, we're not doing this again. This is just a one-time thing, okay?"
Zoey chuckled, hugging her back. "Noted on that, Doc," she teased, laughing lightly as she buried her face in Harriet's chest.
Harriet looked at her daughter, who was sitting on her lap. She adjusted Sydney, leaning back on the couch as she scrolled through her phone. She noticed Sydney had vomited a little, making a mess on her onesie. Harriet chuckled, putting down her phone and lifting Sydney off her lap, smiling at her daughter.
"Look at you making a mess, little princess," Harriet said as she moved Sydney closer and stood up. She walked toward the crib in the living room, reaching for a fresh set of clothes from the small storage bag above it. She set Sydney down on the crib as she rummaged through the bag.
Zoey arrived, noticing Harriet's actions. "What happened?" she asked, setting down two cups of latte on the center table and standing beside Harriet.
"Well, the little princess here just threw up," Harriet laughed, as Sydney giggled.
Zoey scoffed, reaching for Sydney's cheek. "Did you throw up, baby?" she asked in a playful, baby voice.
"Momma," Sydney babbled, her small hands reaching for Zoey.
Zoey smiled. "Let Baba change your clothes first, sweetie," she said, as Harriet gently let Sydney lie down in the crib.
"Come on, let's get you changed," Harriet said, unzipping Sydney's onesie. Zoey stood by, smiling to herself, until Harriet suddenly paused, stunned.
"What's wrong?" Zoey asked, looking at Harriet.
Harriet blinked and pointed at Sydney's shirt. "I'm going to be a big sister!" she read aloud, eyes wide as she looked at Zoey. "Waitâis this...?"
Zoey laughed, cupping Harriet's cheeks. "Why are you so surprised?" she teased.
"Sweetheart, is that... real?" Harriet asked, gulping.
Zoey nodded, a big smile on her face. "Yep," she said, leaning in for a quick kiss on Harriet's lips. "I got the results earlier today. We're having another baby, and our little princess here is going to be a big sister," she said, turning to Sydney and cupping her chubby cheeks. "Right, sweetie?" she cooed, as Sydney giggled. Zoey reached for the wet wipes to clean Sydney's chin and neck.
Harriet stared at Zoey, who was now gently changing Sydney's clothes. "Too stunned to speak, Doc?" Zoey teased, finishing up.
"I..." Harriet gulped, looking at Zoey, now carrying Sydney in her arms. "Can you just pinch me, sweetheart?" she asked.
Zoey laughed and gave Harriet a pinch on the cheek. "How's that?" she asked, smiling.
Harriet bit her lip. "I can't believe this..." she mumbled. "It worked? You're pregnant? We're pregnant?" she asked, her voice full of wonder.
Zoey nodded, smiling warmly. "Yes, my Harriet. We're pregnant, and we're going to have another member of the family," she said, her eyes glistening with emotion.
Harriet smiled, teary-eyed. "I... wow," she mumbled, reaching out to hug Zoey and their daughter. "I can't believe this, really... we're having another baby," she said, pressing a kiss to Zoey's head and Sydney's forehead.
"Are you happy?" Zoey asked, her hand reaching up to gently rub Harriet's cheek.
Harriet nodded, her eyes shining with love. "More than happy," she responded. "I'll take care of you, and Sydney, and our future baby too. I promise, I'll work hard, and... I'll do everything," she said, her voice filled with determination.
Zoey smiled widely. "You've been doing your best, sweetheart," she teased, clicking her tongue.
Harriet blinked. "What did you just call me?" she asked, a little flustered.
Zoey grinned, tilting her head. "Sweetheart," she repeated, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Harriet blushed, covering her mouth. Zoey laughed. "Can you call me that every day, every night? I mean, for the rest of our lives?" Harriet asked, looking up at her wife with a shy smile.
Zoey chuckled. "Fine," she said with a playful grin. "Since you've been a good girl, I'll give you that," she teased.
Harriet grinned widely. "Gosh, you're still making me blush like a teenager," she said, gently handing Sydney from Zoey and pulling her into a tight hug. "I really love you, sweetheart," she mumbled, resting her head on Zoey's.
"And you know, I love you even more," Zoey said, hugging Harriet back.