Page 127 of Rescuing Mary

“Hey! Are you guys comin’? I’m hungry!” Bryan said as he came back into the room and saw them still on the floor.

“We’re comin’, keep your pants on,” Fish said.

“Of course I will! Why would I take them off to have breakfast?” Bryan asked before heading back into the kitchen to wait for them.

Fish chuckled, and made a mental note to call Ghost and the others and let them know the good news later that day. He sat up and helped Bryn to her feet as well. Then hand in hand, they walked into the kitchen together, ready to start a new day.

“I’m the luckiest man alive,” Fish said later as he watched his son eat his chocolate chip pancakes.

“Maybe so. But if you are, then I’m the luckiest woman alive,” Bryn said with a small smile.

Fish had no retort to that. She was absolutely right.

Beatle and Casey, eleven years after the weddings.

* * *

“I can’t do it again,” Casey said, looking up at Beatle with huge tears in her eyes.

Beatle thought his heart was going to break. They’d done everything they were supposed to this time. Just as they had the last three times, and it hadn’t worked.

They’d started trying to have kids a few years after they’d gotten married. They’d wanted to wait until Casey’s university job was a bit more secure. After she’d gotten tenure, they’d started trying to get pregnant right away.

After a year with no results, even though the attempts were more than enjoyable, they’d seen a specialist. Thus had begun six years of doing everything they could to have a child.

They’d just found out that the last round of in-vitro fertilization had failed. Again.

Beatle held Casey as close as possible and didn’t say anything as she cried on his shoulder. His own eyes welled with tears. He hated seeing his wife so upset. Nothing tore at his heart more than not being able to give her what she most wanted, their child.

It wasn’t that they were opposed to adoption. They’d talked about it, and had followed Truck and Mary’s journey to adopt overseas closely. But Casey had really wanted her own child.

Knowing now wasn’t the time to bring up adoption again, Beatle closed his eyes and simply held his wife and thought about the calls he needed to make. He needed to call Blade and let him know that the procedure had once again failed. Needed to tell their parents. Needed to let the other women know, so they could do their thing and surround Casey with love and friendship.

But for now, he’d simply hold her.

How long they sat on the couch and soaked up the much-needed love and affection from each other, Beatle had no idea, but he jerked in surprise when his phone started ringing in his pocket. He was going to ignore it, but Casey pulled away and wiped her eyes.

“You should get that,” she said softly.

Nodding, Beatle pulled the phone out and clicked to answer. He didn’t recognize the number, but he always answered, just in case. “Hello?”

“Is this Mr. Lennon?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Doctor Harris from the fertility clinic.”

“Yes?” Beatle wasn’t sure why their doctor was calling them. They’d just seen him a couple hours ago, when he’d told them the bad news.

“This is highly unusual…but I just received a call from a colleague who’s an OBGYN. He just delivered a baby to a teenaged single mother who wants to give her up for adoption.”

Beatle froze. His eyes whipped to Casey, who was staring at him curiously. “And?” he asked, needing more information before he said anything to clue his wife into what was happening.

“She’s been adamant from the beginning that she didn’t want the child. Her parents refused to allow her to get an abortion. The father isn’t in the picture at all. Child services is looking for a foster home ASAP. I just thought… Can I be frank here?”

“Please,” Beatle said, still in shock.

“We’ve been through a lot together. The last thing I wanted to do today was break the news that the procedure once again didn’t work. You and Casey are the kind of people who deserve to be parents. You’d be amazing, I have no doubt. I know you both want children more than anything. So, I pulled some strings… You could pick up the baby tomorrow. But you’d have to go in and fill out the application to be a foster parent first. They’ll do background checks, and you’ll have to put up with home visits for a while too. Then there will be court dates to make sure the mother and her family have relinquished all rights to the child.