Child (Ish) Dreams

Chapter Four

"I'm so nervous," Sapphire said as she climbed into the double bed next to Sam. Sam held out an arm and Sapphire snuggled up.

"It'll go great. You'll see."

Sam went to sleep almost straight away. Sapphire stayed snuggled up to her, her mind racing. She could not wait for the next day. Her appointment at the fertility clinic was booked and they would have a meeting with one of the heads of the clinic, a doctor Jeremy Cooper. She prayed and hoped and wished everything would go okay. Eventually, she fell asleep, dreaming of a perfect baby.

Sapphire and Sammie held hands as they walked into the clinic. It was something like Sapphire had been expecting. She had been expecting the bright whiteness that usually came with any form of hospital. They had gone through the doors and into a wide room with a waiting area, a reception desk and a corridor leading off to other rooms. There were a few people around. One was heavily pregnant. Others were either on their own or with members of their family. The smell was not hospital smell, much to Sapphire's relief. It smelled of lavender, a perfectly calming aura. Sammie led the way to the reception desk. An elderly lady looked up and smiled at them.

"Do you have an appointment card?" Sammie pushed it across the desk to her. She examined it, tapped on the computer and nodded.

"Okay, you need to fill in some forms." She took up two clipboards and handed one each to Sammie and Sapphire.

"Why do we both need to? I'm not the one here for IVF."

"You're her partner, yes?" The receptionist checked.

"Well yes but-"

"Partners need to fill one too." Sapphire took her clipboard and a pen from off the top of the counter. She then went to sit down. Sammie reluctantly did the same. There was silence between them as they filled out the forms. Basic information first, names, addresses, dates of birth, contact details. Then it was medical history. History of terminal/lifelong illnesses (cancer, cerebral palsy, blindness) and history of medication controlled illnesses (epilepsy, diabetes, asthma). Next it was sexual health. STDs? Any previous pregnancies? How long had they been attempting to get pregnant (HA!), regular bad sexual health, period regulation, contraception type (being gay) and reason for being there. Finally, the best questions ever, the lifestyle questions. Do you smoke? Do you drink alcohol? Do you exercise regularly? Do you take recreational drugs? If yes to any of the above, when was the last time? How regular? Have you done any of the above before? The questions seemed to go forever. Sapphire finished first and peered over Sammie's shoulder to watch her finish her questionnaire. When they were both done, they handed the questionnaires over to the receptionist and was told to take a seat as the doctor would see them shortly. They did so and while Sammie went on her phone to play Candy Crush, Sapphire looked around the waiting area. She noticed a few others also filling out the questionnaire, some reading the magazines offered, some sipping on water. Sapphire's heart was pounding. Her future all seemed to come down to these next few moments. She wondered if she might pass out from it all.

"Sapphire Greene and Sam Woods?" A woman called their names. She was in a dark blue nurse's outfit and was holding a clipboard. Sammie put her phone away and took Sapphire's hand. They followed the nurse down the corridor through the second door and into an office. The office was just as white as the rest of the place, the exception being the pale grey door and the grey filing cabinets. The desk was dark wood and the chairs were black leather. Books were on shelves and paperwork was on the desk including two questionnaire forms. The man behind the desk was a middle-aged man with ageing lines around his face and a tint of grey to his otherwise black combed back hair. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt and black trousers as well as white doctor's coat with the name tag Dr J, Cooper. He stood up as they entered.