I hope everyone's year has started off amazing! It might be a day sooner than I originally thought, but I do apologize for the delay in getting this chapter posted. Family time is important. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the ones that follow, however many there will be. :-)
Chapter Eight
Mothers-In-Law to Mothers-To-Be
"What?" Catherine said, not understanding why her son was addressing her individually.
It took her a moment to realize where Brian's thoughts were, but as soon as Mackenzie figured it out, she covered her mouth with her hands in excitement and jumped up and down in her chair. Amber was busy being emotional about being pregnant. She knew it was the plan all along, but experiencing it was bringing back a lot of memories and emotions.
"Mom, I have a question for you," Brian said with a big smile.
Catherine looked at him for a moment without blinking an eye until it dawned on her what her son was about to ask her. Her eyes opened wide, and her face lit up with excitement. Within seconds, the happy look of excitement changed to nearly uncontrollable happy tears, and she had not yet been properly asked. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand as she impatiently waited for what she knew was coming.
"Mom, would you like to carry our baby for us?" he asked.
Without having to be asked twice, she nodded quickly in agreement. Her eyes closed tightly, and a single tear fell from her eye. Brian took her hand and resolved to, once again, be the realist of the group.
"Now, there's questions that must be asked and for you, Mom, we need to have you all checked out to make sure it's safe. I don't want to dive headfirst into something that won't work out or shouldn't be attempted," he said to everyone.
Catherine nodded in agreement while Mackenzie and her mother hugged each other tightly. Brian went to see if the doctor was nearby. He eventually arrived back at the room with the doctor."
"Were we able to confirm that Amber is pregnant?" Brian asked.
"Yes, looks like it's a certainty, so, congratulations, ma'am," he said, smiling at Amber.
"We would like to bring in another surrogate to carry the child," he told the doctor.
"Great! We will kind of have to restart the process, but the hard part is already done. When you have a new candidate identified..." he said before Brian interrupted.
"It's going to be my mother, Catherine," Brian said, pointing to his mother.
"Oh! Okay, that's not a problem. We'll need to use the same procedures for her age group just like we did with Miss Amber so, we will need a letter from her doctor saying she is medically ready for pregnancy. I don't think that will be an issue, since she looks healthy and, if I may add, young for her age."
"Thank you," Catherine said.
"How long do we have to get that done?" Brian asked the doctor.
"I wouldn't wait longer than a couple weeks," he said.
"Easy day," Brian replied. "We'll get this knocked out this week."
"Okay, that sounds great. We'll wait for the paperwork. If you want to go ahead and schedule the appointment for implantation for our new mother-to-be, the receptionist out front can take care of that for you. Again, congratulations, Miss Amber and to you ma'am," he said, looking at Catherine.
Everyone thanked the doctor as they walked out the door. They scheduled the appointment with the receptionist and once they all got in the car, they exploded with euphoria. Everyone tried talking over each other as they aired their excitement over the news. Brian hushed them all and suggested they go eat to celebrate the exciting new changes to everyone's life. The idea was a resounding success and off they went.
At dinner, Brian listened as all three women gushed over all the things they would have to get done. He was over the moon seeing them all as happy as he'd ever seen them. He paid particular attention to his mother. He had sprung the idea on her without notice and in front of others, leaving her little, if any opportunity to decline the offer. He saw the excitement on her face when he asked her, but wanted to resolve his doubts.
"I need to speak to Mom alone for a sec. Could you two order the drinks and an appetizer or two? We'll be right back," he said, holding out his hand for his mother to take.
She seemed confused but went with him outside.
"Mom, I didn't give you a chance to ask you in private about this whole thing and I apologize for that."
She slapped him on the arm and said, "Don't be silly, Brian. I've always regarded Mackenzie and her mother as family, but now that everything has changed and there is nobody else, the three of you truly are the only family I have left."
"I know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it. Asking someone on the spot to carry a baby for them isn't something that happens every day and in hindsight, I didn't think about how it might make you feel if I didn't at least give you time to think about it."
Catherine hugged her son and told him she was flattered that he would ask and that she was looking forward to it. They went inside and re-joined Mackenzie and Amber at the table. Drinks were there and the appetizers were on the way. Brian opened the discussion with the obvious next steps.
"Well, it seems Amber will have to go see her OB and get checked out and start making regular appointments for the baby. Mom, we need to get you checked out and make sure it's safe for you to get pregnant again."
"Yes, and we'll need to do that soon," Catherine said.
Putting the noisy restaurant environment aside, there was a peaceful silence at the table. Everyone seemed engrossed in their own thoughts.
"Two babies," Mackenzie said quietly.
Just as her daughter was reflecting on the news, Amber reached across the table a lightly punched Brian in the arm.
"Ow! What did you hit me for?" he asked, looking around to see if anyone noticed.
"I can't believe you actually knocked me up!" she said with a grin.
"Well, I won't speak for you, but
