Chapter 28 Lucy
Lucy
Well, it was obviously a very slow news week.
Lucy had genuinely thought that outside of Drew and Mason’s families, and maybe a couple of co-workers, no one would care about the surrogacy story.
She wasn’t the world’s first surrogate. They had entire clinics devoted to this kind of family journey.
But something was in the air – maybe the upcoming dicey presidential election, or spring approaching after a gloomy winter, or the lack of any current celebrity scandals.
Whatever it was, people pounced on the story like toddlers on cookies.
Lucy blinked into the ring light, trying to remove the spots messing her peripherals.
‘Dads,’ the producer called, and Drew and Mason snapped to attention. ‘Place yourselves here, one on each side of Lucy. Sorry, you’re going to have to squish in.’ He checked the frame and stepped back with a slight frown. ‘Lucy, a little forward. Dads, a tad back.’
After the Times had run the story, the weekend local TV news station had picked it up for a segment.
And then a Wisconsin news station asked for an interview, and a national online news source ran the story.
And now here they were, two weeks later, getting shuffled to perfection in Drew and Mason’s living room.
The producer clapped his hands and motioned for the technician to attach their mics.
Mason adjusted his bowtie, Drew cleared his throat, again, and Lucy used every core muscle she had left to maintain proper posture.
‘You doing okay?’ Drew asked.
‘Totally.’ Lucy ran her tongue across the ridges of her teeth for a final lipstick check. ‘I’m ready for my close-up, Mr Deville.’
‘It’s DeMille,’ Mason whispered.
‘No. Really? Like really, really?’ Lucy cracked a smile. ‘I’ve been saying it wrong all these years.’
‘Who do you say that to?’ Drew whispered back as the make-up person added one more sweep of powder to his forehead. ‘Please say no one, ever.’
‘I don’t like you.’ Lucy scrunched her nose and glanced to where Jade was resting against the corner wall, a soft smile on her face. Since the local media frenzy hit, Jade seemed a little withdrawn. Again. Still. More.
Or was she? Jade was here, wasn’t she? Since the start of this baby-making situation, Lucy’s thoughts hadn’t been clear, and maybe she was sensing something that didn’t exist. When the national morning show team reached out for an interview, Jade had snuggled in bed with Lucy and joked that she alone needed to do Lucy’s hair because it would reflect poorly on her if her girlfriend’s hair looked ratty on national television.
‘Did you seriously just call me ratty?’ Lucy had said with a grin. Jade had quickly retracted her words and reassured Lucy with a ‘that’s not what I meant!’ and a ‘you’re the hottest woman alive’ until Lucy was satisfied Jade had completed her penance.
The producer stepped in front of Lucy and checked his watch. ‘Any refreshers needed on what we chatted about earlier in the week?’
‘I won’t swear.’ Lucy grinned. Last week, along with the prep questions, the producer told them multiple times that the network had a three-second delay as a fail-safe in case someone swore. Then quickly followed with, ‘But please, please do not swear.’
‘I think we’re good,’ Mason said.
Drew leaned into Lucy’s ear. ‘You look like a hot mama.’
Lucy patted her beach-waved hair. ‘I kind of do, don’t I?’
‘Everyone take a deep breath,’ the assistant producer said and inhaled a huge breath while raising his palms from his belly to chest. ‘You look great. This will be a piece of cake, and we’ll be out of here in three minutes.’
Jesus, the lights were hot. Lucy picked a few strands of hair off her sticky forehead, and her belly knotted. Ugh, now her legs were cramping. And why was everyone in the room staring directly at her and not the dads?
Jade mouthed, You got this, and Lucy’s shoulders relaxed. She focused on the monitor resting on the table. The morning show logo remained static, and a commercial played in the top right corner.
The producer adjusted his headset and threw up his fingers. ‘And five, four, three, two …’
‘Hello and welcome back. Today, we have a good news story all the way from Stillwater, Minnesota, about thirty minutes east of Minneapolis. Joining us today are Lucy, Drew, and Mason, a group of childhood friends who made a very special surrogacy pact years ago and are now in the midst of fulfilling that promise. Welcome all.’
‘Hi,’ Lucy said along with the dads, although she added a way too enthusiastic, elbow-to-wrist wave to her greeting. Whoops. She quickly dropped her hands to her lap.
The camera zoomed in on the host. ‘Let’s start with the woman of the hour. Lucy, can you tell us how you’re feeling?’
‘I’m great.’ Lucy patted her stomach. ‘The baby is kicking up a storm, I’m back to eating solids, and my feet have only gone up one size. So far.’
‘Oh, the feet.’ The host smiled. ‘I remember that uncomfortable stage when I was pregnant with my children.’
‘Do they shrink back? I don’t want to be stuck at size ten forever. Oh gosh, no offence to any size ten-ers out there.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ The host chuckled. ‘Drew and Mason, what led to the decision to choose Lucy as your gestational carrier? That’s a lot of trust to place in someone.’
‘When Drew and I first started talking about surrogacy, we always knew Lucy would be the one.’ Mason’s legs tensed, but his voice was calm.
‘Drew and Lucy have been friends since kindergarten; I’ve known her since junior high, and we all just click.
Once Drew and I started dating in high school, we just became this unique type of family and stayed like this ever since. We’re just thankful she said yes.’
‘Lucy,’ the host said. ‘I imagine you get a lot of questions, especially since your story hit. How are you handling the media interest and the pressure that can come with that?’
Lucy recalled her notes from the prep session. ‘Everyone has been so nice. Either I’m blissfully unaware – and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of that – or people have kept any “personal comments” to themselves.’
‘That’s great to hear,’ said the host. ‘For the dads, I understand there are more legalities and paperwork surrounding surrogacy than a traditional pregnancy. Can you walk us through that process?’
Drew took a breath. ‘It took nearly two years of conversation, legal paperwork, doctor appointments, donor reviews, and shots, before we ever got pregnant. I think all three of us have a few more grey hairs than when we started this.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ Lucy said out of the corner of her mouth.
The host laughed. ‘That’s quite the journey. I imagine it would be daunting for anyone in your situation.’ The host glanced at the notecard on her desk. ‘So, Lucy, I read that you have a significant other, right?’
A spark of heat travelled up Lucy’s neck and she peeked at Jade, who wiggled her brows.
Sure, this was on the list of potential questions, but she secretly hoped it wouldn’t be asked.
Yes, they’d been in a relationship for months, but this interview would be searchable content for infinity.
Was this the equivalent of getting the kiss-of-death tattoo of a partner’s name on your body, and once the ink dried, something terrible happened?
‘Yes, I have someone special in my life.’
The host smiled. ‘I imagine the dynamic changes within a relationship when you’re carrying for someone else.’
You have no idea. ‘Well, I had to give up my dancing days, that’s for sure.’
The beginning of their relationship looked nothing like what it did now. There was so much pressure now, that just hadn’t been there when they first met. Was it because of the pregnancy? Or was this some step in the natural progression of a relationship?
‘I bet.’ The host laughed. ‘For things like birthing classes, how do you handle that? Do all four of you go? Just you and the partner?’
Birthing classes. Drew had been pestering her, sending her emails with various classes around the area. He not so subtly tapped his knee into hers, and she understood his ‘told you so’ message.
‘Oh no, my partner won’t be joining. I’ve said to folks before that my girlfriend is not the father. She’s totally hands off with the pregnancy stuff. That part of my life is for the dads, and the other part of me is for her. She probably won’t even be in the hospital when I give birth.’
The host dipped her head. ‘Interesting. Well, we all do what we feel is best. Thank you so much for chatting with us and wishing you all the very best of luck.’ She turned to the camera.
‘Coming up after the break, we’ll talk to a local San Francisco twelve-year-old who has built such a reputation for his butterscotch cookies that he was invited to the White House. Back in a moment.’
‘Great job, everyone.’ The producer tugged off his headphones.
The assistant reached for Lucy’s microphone, then unplugged the devices from the men. Lucy’s mouth was bone dry and sweat prickled her chest.
‘Oof. Am I stinky? I was sweating so bad, I swear. God, I’m thirsty.’
‘You did great.’ Drew stood and adjusted his pant leg while Mason ducked over to the producer. ‘But for real, Luce. We need to sign up for the birthing classes soon. Promise me you’ll look at all the emails that you’ve happily ignored this last month.’
‘I wouldn’t say happily.’
Drew glanced at Jade, who was scrolling through her phone in the corner. ‘Are you sure Jade doesn’t want to be part of the classes? Do you really think she won’t be in the hospital room? You know Mason and I are fine with whomever you want there.’
Lucy smiled to cover the fact that she had no idea if Jade wanted to be in the room. ‘Gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back.’ She scooted out without another word.
Sure, there were conversations they hadn’t had – like if Jade would join Lucy in the hospital, or during birthing classes, or nearly anything that had to do with the baby. They just … didn’t go there.
Lucy felt emotionally detached from the pregnancy, and besides feeling the alien squirming inside, she wasn’t that interested in what was happening.
She’d do whatever Lamaze, yoga, or hypnotist class the dads wanted.
It was their baby, and she was just housing it for a while.
But for the level of dissociation Lucy felt, Jade was probably on Jupiter with anything baby related.
After her trip to the bathroom, Lucy returned to find the production team had already removed the lights and monitor and were loading up a bin. Drew and Mason were chatting in the corner, but Jade was gone. Lucy went into the kitchen, the other guest bathroom, but nothing.
‘Have you guys seen Jade?’
Mason jutted his chin to the patio door. ‘Yep, she’s outside. Probably replenishing the vitamin D she depleted over the winter.’
Outside, Lucy didn’t see Jade right away, so she tilted her head to the sky and soaked up the warm sun.
She took a moment to breathe in the fresh spring air, with the smell of mowed lawn and budding trees.
She crossed the lawn to the side of the house.
Ah. That’s where Jade was hiding – leaned up against the wall with her eyes closed.
‘There you are.’ Lucy hooked her arms through Jade’s and hugged.
Jade stiffened under her touch.
‘What’s wrong?’ Lucy unhinged her arms, then stepped back, her gaze flickering over Jade’s expression.
The look on Jade’s face was foreign, and Lucy’s belly flopped in response. Squinted eyes, a flatlined mouth, red cheeks, and now, heavy crossed arms.
‘Why would you assume I wouldn’t want to be in the hospital with you? Or take Lamaze classes?’
Whoa. Her tone was a mix of hurt and pissed, and Lucy fumbled for words.
Why wouldn’t Lucy assume that? Jade never asked about those things, and was Lucy supposed to offer it up?
This wasn’t even her kid. ‘I don’t know.
I just … in general you seem disinterested in anything about the pregnancy, so I just thought … ’
‘Disinterested? Disinterested!’ Jade’s hands punched into her hips.
Oh, yep. That tone was no longer hurt. Jade had gone from zero to ten. She was pissed.
Jade’s nostrils widened, and she dropped her arms. ‘I went to your appointments, I rub your feet, I don’t eat certain cheeses around you, I ask you how you’re feeling all the time.’
‘Are you serious?’ Lucy felt heat rise in her face.
That’s what Jade considered showing interest?
Not eating brie? Jade could not be more indifferent if she tried.
‘I mean, sure, you ask how I’m feeling, but you’re not asking about me.
You’re checking off a list. You’ve never once asked what it feels like to have something shift inside you, or how it is to feel my hips widening, or if I’m worried about postpartum depression, or what it’s like not having my mom here to ask why I have raging heartburn and if she had a secret potion she used when she was pregnant! ’ Lucy caught her breath.
Jade’s jaw worked in a circle before she exhaled. ‘You don’t like talking about your mom.’
The comment may be fair, but Lucy’s good old stubbornness reared its ugly head. She was not about to acknowledge the logic of Jade’s statement. She may not like to talk about her mom, but Jade avoiding the subject was something else.
‘Hey, you guys out here?’ Mason’s voice cut through their stare-down.
Lucy blinked. ‘Over here!’
‘Should we all go grab some brunch?’ Mason paused a few feet away from them and looked between the women. ‘Everything okay?’
Jade cleared her throat and pushed herself from the wall. ‘Um yep. I’ve gotta get back to the salon. Great job all of you.’
Without a kiss, hug, or another word, she left.
And Lucy held back the sob choking in her throat.