More Than a Soldier

Chapter 65 - Collection

Y/n's POV:

Since coming back from Santa Maria, everything has been a bit hectic. Scarlett has started reshoots for Endgame, but thankfully, they're doing those in LA and not Atlanta which means she doesn't need to go away again. She does some weird hours at times, but most days we have our routine. Ava still has two weeks left of summer before she heads back to school, and she turns 9 in less than a month and I'm not ready for her to be that old!

Whilst Scarlett is working, I'm spending pretty much every day at the café now. My work with Alan is in a break period and we're not due to work until mid-September, which has worked out well as it means that I can focus on getting the café ready for it's opening in two weeks at the end of August. I can't believe how fast it's all coming around, but I can't wait!

I'm also making the most of being able to do heavy lifting and lots of work this weekend before we have our first embryo transfer next week. We had our appointment with Dr Callahan not long after we got home to go through everything and book the procedures that we need. It's not the best timing with everything with the café, but I can't control when I'm ovulating. The last few weeks I've been taking all sorts of tablets and injections to help prepare my body for the procedure.

Though I'm not alone in that. Scarlett has been taking fertility hormones to help increase the number of eggs that she produces so we have more to fertilise. It is all very clinical and sadly no romance in any of this which is a shame. Straight couples don't realise how easy they get it!

Her appointment is in two days to have her eggs collected. They are then fertilised and left for 5 days and then we'll find out if we have any that are suitable for transfer. Everything is a waiting game in this and it's not helping our nerves, but we're doing this together and supporting each other through it all.

The day after we got back from Santa Maria, we started looking for a donor. That was a weird experience, but we actually found someone that we this is a good match. Scarlett was insistent that they had similar features and personality to me. I wasn't as fussed but I think it actually helped us find the right person. Otherwise, we might have gotten a little lost in it all.

The donor we've gone for has my hair and eye colour and is 6"3 so nice and tall. With Scarlett's short ass we have some hope the kid will grow taller than 5"3. Though I won't be saying that out loud again as my arm is still sore from the punch I got for making that joke! He also has similar interests and personality traits to me. So hopefully, it won't feel like a stranger's baby. Not that I could think that any way.

Thankfully, with my mind focused on the café during the day, I don't have long to spend worrying about if we're going through all of this effort for it not to work. But I'm trying to be positive and realistic at the same time.

Currently, Sophie, Hannah, Ava and I are working in the café. Ava has really loved coming in with us to help out. I've tried to make sure it's not how she spent her whole summer. She's done lots of day camps and spent time with her friends which has been great. But it's nice that she feels involved at the café.

Whilst Sophie and Hannah are going over the training plan for the staff, I'm finishing putting together the two coffee machines that we've bought. They're quite complex and I feel the pressure to get this right. If it's not set up properly, we won't get coffee and what's a café without coffee?!

With the last screw in place, I hit the switch on the wall and wince as I wait to see if I've fucked up the electrics and it blows up in front of me. When nothing happens, I smile to myself. "Ok, it's ready for it's trial run." I call out to the others. If this one works, that the second one will be easy.

The three of them all gather around, and Sophie instructs Hannah to make a cup of coffee. We watch as she goes through each step and I hold my breath at each point, hoping the machine works. After a couple of minutes, Hannah places the mug on the counter and looks up to us. "Now for the taste test." I smile. Sophie steps forward and lifts the cup to her mouth. We all wait with bated breath as she takes another sipe. "Perfect." She smiles, placing the cup down.