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Chapter 5

Julian

I almost laughed at his serious face, but I respected that he was just doing his job, the formality being a part of it. He reminded me a bit of Natalie, who had worked for me for years but had yet to call me anything other than sir. Even when I got on her nerves and tried to make her laugh, she never wavered.

"We specialize in shifter pregnancies and use a highly selective conception process to ensure that all babies are happy and healthy." "What does that mean?" I asked.

"It is very important to find ideal blood matches between the donor and future parents. Not only does this eliminate eighty-nine percent of pregnancy complications, but it also ensures that the process has a higher chance of success. We don't leave anything to chance."

"And everything is done here?"

"We have clinics that take care of the base processes, which is the harvesting of the primary biological matter, as well as routine checkups during the pregnancies. But embryos are taken care of and implanted here. We have the best team of doctors at your service."

"How long does it take to match parents and surrogates?"

"Usually anything from a week to two weeks maximum. You can rest assured that all background and medical history checks are thoroughly done, and we have never mismatched a parent and a donor." I nodded as we got into an elevator.

"A doctor will be assigned to you, and they will work with you for the duration of the pregnancy, of course. But you are welcome to consult with any of the doctors within the facility if there are any questions you might have along the way."

The elevator climbed higher, and as we passed the fourth floor, Elton explained, "The fourth floor is mainly human resources and legal matters. All contracts are drafted and reviewed by our legal team, and you can be assured of confidentiality at all times."

We got to the fifth floor where we got out, and Elton led the way to a ward.

"This is one of our wards, and as you can see, each baby has an electric tag that shows their vitals."

I smiled at the little ones who were sleeping soundly in their little glass cribs. Their parents' names were clearly visible, together with their weights, dates of births, and genders.

"This is where the babies are until their new parents take them home with them. As soon as a baby is born, they are given a tag on their foot. It is directly linked to their crib, and if they are placed in the wrong crib, a small alarm will be set off."

My eyes widened with interest at that bit of information. "Have you ever had a case of someone being given the wrong baby?"

He laughed and shook his head before replying, "No, sir, because we have such an efficient system in place."

"That's reassuring, I suppose."

"Your case will have a unique code that you can track from beginning to end until the baby is discharged. That means at every stage of the pregnancy, you can check online what's going on, what has been done so far and what comes next. For example, what checkups have been done, which future appointments are planned and the likes, up to the birth of the child."

I liked that very much. It was reassuring to have some degree of control given back to me when most of the process was out of my hands. With their technology, I could keep up with the pregnancy every step of the way. Their level of professionalism was impressive, and it made me feel at ease with the decision I was leaning towards, as much as it surprised me.

"The surrogacy options vary, of course. We have single parents who use the donor surrogate option, as well as couples who have their biological embryo implanted in a surrogate. We also have donor matter, and you can screen either a donor mother or father if matter from the parents is not an option."

I nodded and looked at the little ones that were mostly sleeping soundly. I felt an ache deep in my chest, but I couldn't comprehend it.

"Do you have any questions?" Elton finally asked after he had shown me the place.

Everything was impeccable, really, and I didn't have any complaints.

"I think you have answered all the questions I had."

He smiled. "I am glad to be of service sir, perhaps I can take you to our pairing agents? They will be able to take you through some of our psychological screening processes and a layout of everything that comes next."

"Alright, lead the way."

I found myself in front of another door. The name plate on this one identified the owner of the office as Edna Robins. She was a nice elderly woman who explained to me how they screened potential surrogates, then gave me a few forms to fill in. I couldn't believe I was going through with this, but after all my research and finally this visit, all my questions had been answered. I was still a bit hesitant, this was a huge decision after all, but I was pretty confident this agency would do a great job.

I made sure to go over every single thing twice before I filled in and signed the form that declared my interest to use First Class Surrogacy for their services. Edna smiled at me as I handed her the completed forms.

"This is your first?"

I nodded, and she gave me another warm smile.

"I have three of my own, and I still say becoming a parent is the best thing I ever did."

I wanted to have that feeling too, and just hearing this stranger say that calmed me further. This was not the route I thought I would take to start a family, but I was going to make it work.

"Whenever you are ready, you can get a full medical report first.

Then you will need to provide your semen sample at our clinic in

Westend. Can I go ahead and book an appointment for you for Wednesday next week?"

"No problem."

I waited as she entered some information into her computer before she handed me a card.

"That is your appointment card with your details and the time. Once they have your sample, any information they collect will be automatically updated to your file. But now, if you are ready, we can get the medical exam out of the way."

"Okay, thank you."

"Thank you for choosing us, we hope to make this journey as easy for you as possible."

I nodded my thanks again and left the office, my appointment card clutched in my hand. I went to the exam room that Edna directed me to, and a doctor assisted me with a checkup, checking everything from my height, weight, and family medical history to my general exercise routine.

By the time I was done, it seemed as if it had been hours since I had walked through these doors. Walking out, I saw a new face at the reception desk. She offered me the same wide smile Victoria had, and I tipped an imaginary hat at her, making her smile broaden. I smiled.

I might become a boring dad soon, but I hadn't lost my touch just yet.

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