"How are you late, mom?" Rose asked a half hour later.
"I'm fine, dear. Why do you ask?"
"Well, lately, you just seem... bored."
Nina laughed slightly. "It does seem a little mundane in the house sometimes, but trust me, I have plenty to keep me busy." She patted Rose's hand. "Don't worry about me."
Rose smiled slightly, to please her mother.
"What about you, dear? How did your meeting go?"
"Good, they liked me, so I'm going to the clinic on Friday."
"So soon?"
Rose sighed. "Yes, mom. Why is it daddy's the only one who seems to support me in this?"
"Oh, honey, I support you all the way, of course I do. It'll just take some getting used to. Like your painting. Remember?"
Rose nodded.
"But when you started selling and winning awards, I got used to the idea. This'll be like that."
Rose nodded again.
"You said your father was the only one supporting you. Brian isn't?"
"Well, he's kinda like you."
"Tell him to get over it."
Rose smiled at her mother, and this time it was genuine.
After lunch and some shopping, Rose went on home. She was painting when Brian got home.
"I'm in the studio," she yelled in response to his call. A few seconds later, she heard his footsteps on the stairs and soon the studio door opened all the way.
"Hey, honey," Brian said, bending to kiss her.
"How was your day?" she asked as he pulled a chair up beside her.
"Busy. Lots of going through files, making calls. You?"
"Well, the meeting this morning went well, and I met up with mom- what?" She stopped talking when she noticed the look on Brian's face.
"It went well. Does that mean you're gonna..."
"Yes."
Brian nodded. "Okay. I'm going into my office."
"Brian-"
"I'm not angry or anything, sweetheart. Alright? I just wanna get some work done." His lips brushed her cheek in a brief kiss, then he put the chair back and left the room.
Rose sighed and set her brush and palette down. She studied her work for a moment, then stood, satisfied with her work for the day. Glancing up at the wall clock, she figured she should wash up and begin dinner.
As the chicken baked and the vegetables steamed, she sat on the couch and read through the day's mail.
She was tending to the vegetables when Brian came down into the kitchen.
"Oh, good. I was just about to come get you."
"You're not upset?"
Rose shook her head as she quickly cut up tomatoes and cucumbers for the salad.
"I talked to mom today. She told me to tell you to get over it." Rose looked up, grinning, and Brian laughed.
"Yeah, your mom's the smart one."
"So are you, sweetheart. Just a little... closed-minded."
"And you're not the only one to say that."
"Aw." Rose kissed his cheek. "But I'm the only who loves you."
"True." Brian smiled and softly kissed her lips.
"When do you go back?"
"Friday."
"I've got four days to get used to the idea." Brian stabbed a broccoli tree with determination. "I can do it."
Rose laughed and Brian smiled at her.

Friday at the clinic, Rose was inseminated with Pete's sperm.
"It probably won't take the first time, but most likely by the second time, it will."
Rose nodded and headed behind the curtain to get dressed.
As she left, she made another appointment to come back for the test.
Faced now with an empty afternoon and no inspiration to paint, Rose decided to drive to her father's office and visit him and Brian.
"Hey, Rose," the receptionist greeted with a smile when Rose walked in. Rose returned it.
"Hey, Sharon."
"They're in boardroom three. And if you could, take your father's mail back to him."
"I will, thanks, Sharon."
Rose took the mail and walked back to the boardroom. She knocked and slowly opened the door. Brian and Victor were in the midst of a heated discussion, Brian pacing the length of the boardroom table, Victor at the head. Both men had removed their jackets, and Brian's tie was loose. They both smiled, however, as Rose entered the room.
"Hello, sweetheart."
"Hello, daddy." Rose bent to kiss his cheek. "Here's your mail."
"Thanks."
"Hey," Brian murmured as she approached him. Victor pretended to be absorbed in his mail as Brian and Rose kissed.
"Mmm, perfect. This day has been hell."
"What are you guys doing?" Rose asked, glancing down at an open file folder.
"Arguing, discussing, debating. Whatever they call it."
"Your husband is going to make a fine lawyer someday," Victor murmured, not looking up from his mail. Rose smiled.
"I'm sure he will."
Rose looked around at the files and book scattered on the table.
"Well, do you guys need any help?"
"No, dear, I'm sorry," Victor replied, finally looking up. "But I'm sure if you go out front, Sharon'll have something for you."
"Alright. Good luck, I guess."
Victor smirked. "Yeah..."
Rose started from the room and Brian came with her.
"Hey, what-"
"How did it go?"
"My appointment? Fine."
"Are you-"
"Honey, I won't know for a few days. Relax." Rose lightly touched his cheek. "Go back to work."
Brian nodded, gave her a quick kiss, and ducked back into the boardroom.
Rose walked down the hallway and came out near Sharon's desk. Rose greeted her again and Sharon looked up.
"Your father didn't have anything for you to do?"
Rose shook her head and Sharon smiled.
"Come on back here and pull a chair up to the typewriter."
Rose did so and Sharon came to stand by her.
"Alright, I've got to put those addresses on envelopes. There's two pages there, if you could do the first page, it'd help me out a lot."
"Sure thing."
"Thanks."
Rose turned the electric typewriter on and inserted the first envelope.
The two women worked in silence for an hour and a half, the only sounds Rose's occasional cursing under her breath when she messed up and Sharon softly reading to herself as she typed on her computer. Classical music played quietly from the overheard speakers. No one even came in.
When Rose finished with the first page, she deposited the addressed envelopes beside Sharon's computer.
"They're still not finished." Rose sighed. "I'll start on the second page."
"Alright. Thanks, Rose."
"No problem."
She was nearly finished with the second page when Brian and Victor came out.
Brian stood at the counter and stared down at Rose.
"I had to wait on you, now you can wait on me," Rose mumbled, frowning slightly as she typed.
Brian smiled. "Fair trade."
"I assume you're riding home with Rose," Victor asked Brian.
"Yeah."
"Alright." Victor came around the counter and kissed his daughter's cheek.
"'night, honey."
"'night, daddy."
"Monday, Brian?"
"Of course."
"Alright, seen you then. 'night."
"'night."
Rose finished the envelopes fifteen minutes later and added them to the first stack.
"Thank you so much, Rose. I can go home too, now that those are finished," Sharon said as she shut her computer down. She gathered her things together and followed Brian and Rose from the office, locking the door behind her since, technically, the building was closed, but a few lawyers remained.
"When will you find out?" Brian asked on the way home.
"I go back next week to get tested."
"What if it didn't take?"
"Then we do it again."
"Again?"
"Yes, again." Rose glanced over at Brian. "They chose me, Brian. You don't just give up after the first try."
"I still don't like the idea of you doing this."
"Well, you know what? I don't care. This is my body, and if I wanna have another couple's baby, I will."
"And put off having our own? That makes sense."
"Do you realize how selfish you sound?"
"Oh, okay, I'm being selfish. You want to go off and another couple's baby. Nevermind what could happen to you, the risk. Bear in mind, Rose, this is your first pregnancy. A million things could go wrong, and then we'd never be able to have children of our own, all because you wanted to give to someone else."
"I'm healthy, Brian. My ovaries are fine, my uterus is fine, everything about me is fine. The chance of anything going severely wrong is minimal."
"But the chance is still there. I mean, what if-"
"Enough, Brian! Enough with the 'what if' game. Just stop. I'm going to do this, and I don't want to hear another negative word about it."
The car filled with a stony silence that lasted all the way home.
Brian went straight to his office and slammed the door behind him. Rose stomped up the stairs and went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and undressed, then stepped into the cascade of hot water. She let the water pound on her body. And she began to cry. Because all she wanted was for Brian to at least stand by her, even if he didn't agree with it. But no. He had to throw all his doubts at her, all his misgivings. He couldn't just live and let live. He was too much of a lawyer.

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

Brian stared at himself in the mirror. He had hurt her so much with his strong disapproval to her surrogacy, but looking back, he would've done the same things over again... protested stronger, talked her out of it. If he had, she'd still be alive today.
He splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up, then left the bathroom to get dressed.

Chapter 3
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