Chapter 12: Baby Maker

Roxanne entered her dad’s house to find him watching a movie, bag of popcorn in hand.
“Ooh la la,” her father said, watching Roxanne enter in the blue dress. “Big date?”
“I’m not sure.” She sat down next to her dad and grabbed a handful of popcorn.
Besides the fact that Tom hadn’t even mentioned how or when they were going to make this baby, Roxanne just assumed it would come in time. She figured he was getting to know her first before he made a romantic move. From what she knew, the baby making part was supposed to be something men normally enjoyed, and she couldn’t understand what Tom’s plan was or even if he was remotely attracted to her.
“Who was the date with? The guy from the bar?” her dad asked.
“I’m not sure it was a date, but yes, bar guy.”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s…well,…he’s different. He likes cats.”
“Cats are okay,” her father nodded.
“Yeah, I guess. We’ve never had a cat.”
At the same time, Roxanne had to confront the reality of becoming a mom. When she agreed to Tom’s deal, she was insistent that she couldn’t walk away. Yet, becoming a mother had been a secondary thought after protecting her dad. The fact that her father seemed eager to have grandkids was at least a positive sign. Like she told Tom, babies were a big deal.
“How did you do it, Dad, after Mom left?”
“Do what?”
“Raise such an excellent human being,” she said and smiled at him.
He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “I’m not quite sure. It was certainly hard. I just took you everywhere with me because after your mom left, I didn’t want you to ever think I would leave you too.”
Roxanne smiled and slunk down on the couch into her father’s chest. She couldn’t lose him.
***
At work, Roxanne continued to put off her boss when he asked about the permit. Tom promised to help, and she hoped he’d come through. Otherwise the baby making deal would be off.
About a week after their dinner with the heiress, Tom again texted Roxanne that he’d pick her up.
“Where are we going?” Roxanne asked as she climbed in Tom’s SUV, squinting from the bright afternoon sun.
“We need to start the process for this baby,” he said.
“Hmmm,” Roxanne responded. She didn’t really know what he meant, but she hoped it was something fun. Maybe they’d be able to start connecting because at that point, she wasn’t sure how she’d ever be able to be intimate with Tom unless he showed her at least a little affection. She really didn’t think she could have sex with a robot.
“First, what’s up with the permit? What’s going on with your connections?” she asked.
“They’re handling it.”
“Uh-uh. No way. It’s taking too long. No permit. No baby.” She crossed her arms.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to be more hands on. I can’t just sit back and wait. How do I know they’re even doing anything?”
“Trust me, Roxanne,” he said. “My people know how to get things done.” Still, she wasn’t sure she should trust him. Maybe she should ask for an agreement in writing? Owen had passed on another warning from the loan shark the night before, meaning they knew that construction was being delayed. She had to get things moving – fast – or else.
Tom pulled up to a newer development of offices off a tree-lined suburban street, a block or two from the main highway. Inside, the waiting room included minimalist décor with comfy leather seating. Roxanne noticed pictures of babies plastered on the wall.
Realizing it was a doctor’s office, Roxanne figured Tom wanted both of them to get checked out to make sure everything was working properly.
Tom spoke to the receptionist who immediately led them to an office where a woman in a pink lab coat reached out her hand to greet them. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes. I’m Dr. Layne. I understand you’re having trouble conceiving.”
Tom nodded as Roxanne looked at him a bit perplexed. “So based on these medical reports you provided, I think we can go ahead and do the insemination,” the doctor continued, and Roxanne raised her eyebrows. “Because you insisted on such discretion, I’ll just need you to sign some paperwork here and the nurse will get you started.” She smiled and handed Tom a clipboard.
Annoyed that once again, Tom had not prepared her, Roxanne gripped the side of her chair tightly. Besides the fact that he lied and fabricated some type of medical history for her, he hadn’t informed her of the doctor visit. On top of all that, the plan to use insemination meant for sure Tom wasn’t romantically interested in her at all.
Tom started to fill out the forms, signing and initialing in all the needed places. His coldness as he robotically handed her the clipboard infuriated Roxanne, and she bit her lower lip to keep from snapping at him.
She started scribbling her name, her new name - Roxanne Rhodes, next to those places with Tom’s signature. Humiliated that she actually thought the reason Tom had chosen her was because he was at least a little attracted to her caused tears to well in her eyes.
Dr. Layne noticed Roxanne’s face, and tried to console her. “This happens all the time. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just because you couldn’t have a baby the old fashioned way, doesn’t make you less of a woman or a mother. We’ll make sure you have a healthy baby,” she said and smiled. Roxanne nodded, wiping her eyes.
The doctor had mistaken her tears for something else, but she was right about one thing. It wasn’t the way Roxanne had always pictured creating her first child.
Tom and Roxanne followed the doctor to an exam room where she explained the procedure. She also warned that it didn’t always work the first time around, but with multiple attempts, she was pretty sure Tom and Roxanne could become pregnant.
Before Roxanne had time to berate Tom for his the insensitive way he was handling the situation , a nurse came in and handed a hospital gown to Roxanne and a small clear cup to Tom. Tom inspected the cup, taking off its cap and looking inside the cup. “You can go in there together,” the nurse pointed toward a door to a bathroom, “or he can go alone. Whichever you choose.”
“Definitely alone,” Roxanne said. Tom walked in, still eyeing the cup. Roxanne undressed and put on the robe, which mostly covered her body, and sat on the examine table.
Several minutes went by. Roxanne tried not to envision Tom performing his fatherly duties. She perused a magazine, checked her phone, then walked up to the door of the bathroom and listened. She couldn’t hear anything.
“Everything okay in there?” she asked. She didn’t hear a reply, so she sidled back to the exam table. The nurse came in to check, and Roxanne shook her head. Almost twenty minutes later, Tom emerged.
“Quick,” he said, “get the nurse. She said we couldn’t wait long.”
“So those are your swimmers.” Roxanne jumped off the exam table and circled Tom who almost looked like a statue, holding a cup with his sperm inside.
“I don’t want to drop it. Hurry,” he said.
“Not so fast,” Roxanne replied. She knew she had him in a tough position. She had never seen him as flummoxed as in that moment. “I know you made up some medical history. You bring me here, don’t warn me what’s going to happen, and now you look as uncomfortable with your own sperm as you do with women.”
“Really, Roxanne. People know who I am. I can’t walk out there with this cup. What if someone sees me? Get the nurse.”
“Hmm…,” Roxanne said, scratching her chin with her finger. “I think you need to learn a little lesson first.” She could tell she was making Tom even more uncomfortable, and she was starting to enjoy watching Tom squirm with his sperm.
She walked by Tom’s side and jostled his elbow a little, causing Tom to brace and steady the cup with his other hand. Roxanne laughed.
“All this work. I don’t want to lose it. Will you just tell them we’re ready?”
“Oh, ready to make a baby?” she asked sarcastically. “I actually thought that maybe we were going to do this the old-fashioned way. Not that I wanted to,” she held up her hand to clarify. “But I would have been willing, per our agreement.” She leaned over Tom’s arm. “Since it’s just business, you know. I want to get a good look at what’s going inside me.” She could tell by the way he sighed and turned his face that he was annoyed, embarrassed even.
“Just get the nurse,” he said through clenched teeth. His feet look bonded to the floor as he stood sturdy and erect, holding his sperm. Roxanne continued to look at the little cup in Tom’s hand, standing on her tiptoes to get a better view.
So when she fell forward a little and grabbed Tom’s arm to steady her, she didn’t expect it to plunge toward the floor.