Chapter 28
28
‘Well that’s it, we’re PUPO.’ Aidan clutched the scan picture in his hand, snapping a photograph of it to upload to their fertility journey story.
‘Dare I ask what PUPO is?’ Jase slipped an arm around his waist as he spoke, his face wreathed in smiles despite his obvious confusion. It had been the most momentous of days, after all.
‘Pregnant until proven otherwise. Ellen has got two embryos on board, so she’s pregnant. At least for now.’
‘Do you think we’re about to have the longest two-week wait of our lives?’
‘Oh, it’s guaranteed.’ Aidan shrugged. ‘And if it works, we’ll then have the longest nine months of our lives. But, whatever happens, I’ll never regret a second of this.’
‘Me neither.’ Jase squeezed his waist and Aidan sent up a silent thanks to whatever force it was that had brought this man into his life. Before they’d started trying for a baby, he wouldn’t have believed it was possible to feel any closer to Jase, or to learn anything more about him. But the conversations they’d had, and the moments they’d shared, had deepened the love they had for one another as a result. Even if none of their attempts ultimately proved successful, he’d still consider himself the luckiest person in the world to have found Jase.
‘I’d better upload this picture. I’ve had at least thirty messages already asking for an update.’ Something else that Aidan could never have believed, was that so many people would be interested in their journey, and that strangers would be rooting for them, as well as all the people they were lucky enough to call friends. The selflessness that Isla and Ellen had shown had undoubtedly been the pinnacle, but they’d been shown so much kindness along the way, and it had restored Aidan’s faith in human nature. ‘Right that’s it, the picture and update is on Insta and Facebook now.’
Aidan stopped dead as a Facebook notification popped up on his phone.
Sean Kennedy reacted to your post.
There was a love heart emoji next to the notification, and then another one appeared.
Sean Kennedy commented on your post.
Holding his breath, Aidan clicked on the notification.
Keeping everything crossed.
It wasn’t the most gushing comment on the post, by any stretch of the imagination, but it meant the world to Aidan all the same. His relationship with his father was taking baby steps in the right direction, and whether or not he and Jase ever became parents, it was just one more reason he’d always be grateful they’d tried.
It was a glorious afternoon, and the sound of laughter drifted on the light August breeze. Isla had never been to Italy, and she’d certainly never experienced a family gathering there, but that’s exactly what it felt like, being seated at a long table, on the terrace of Bocca Felice, overlooking Port Kara, with so many people she cared about. Aidan and Jase had arranged the lunch, and all of their family were there. Isla’s grandparents had been invited too, along with Ellen and her family, and some of Aidan’s closest friends from the hospital, including Danni and Esther. There was a celebratory atmosphere and, even though there was no way of knowing yet what the outcome of Ellen’s embryo transfer would be, with another ten days to go, it felt as if there was some magic in the air.
Isla’s consultant had been delighted with the results of her most recent blood tests, and it looked like the inhibitors were doing everything they should. The terror of her initial diagnosis had long since receded, and not just because of the test results. It was the people sitting around the table who had largely been responsible for that, and in a funny sort of way she was almost grateful for the diagnosis. Without it, she might never have learnt that keeping up a barrier did a far more successful job of keeping away the good things in life than the bad ones, and she might never have realised that love trumped everything else when it came to counting your blessings. As Aidan stood up, the chatter around the table gradually began to quieten, and he raised his glass in the air.
‘I wanted to thank you all, not just for coming to join me and Jase to celebrate getting this far in our journey, but for all the support you’ve given us along the way.’ Aidan raised his glass higher still. ‘Of course, we’d be nowhere without Isla and Ellen, and I’m sure they’re just as grateful as we are, for the support their families have given them. It’s a funny word, family, isn’t it? I used to think it was all about the relationships you have with the people you’re linked to by birth or upbringing, but if the last few months have taught me anything, I’ve realised that family can be so much more than that. Until recently, I thought that the phrase blood is thicker than water, meant that a blood tie would always trump any other kind. But I discovered it doesn’t mean that at all. The real meaning is that the connections with the people you are closest to, form a tighter bond than anything else. I’m not going to put you off your linguine by explaining that it’s got something to do with blood brothers and the waters of the womb, although it appears I just have.’
Everyone around the table laughed, and Isla leant closer to Reuben. ‘What I’m trying to say, albeit very clumsily, after too many celebratory Chiantis, is that a found family can be even more special than one you’re born into. In fact, by the very nature of the fact you’ve chosen it, I think it is. And I found my family, here, in Port Kara, and I love every single last one of you.’
As Aidan raised his glass again, Isla watched her grandmother wipe away a tear, and she wasn’t the only person around the table to do so. What Aidan had said put it perfectly, and as lucky as Isla was to have been born into the family she adored, she’d always be grateful for the family she’d found over the past year. If life really was measured in love, then she might just be the luckiest girl in the world. She was looking forward to the future now, with all the scary and wonderful things it might contain. One thing she knew for certain, was that she’d make the most of every last moment.