Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All by Karen Booth

Chapter Nineteen

Cy was still avoiding Brooklyn.Or so it seemed. Every time she’d see him downstairs, he was either out at the curb chatting up a driver, or ushering a resident outside, or dealing with a delivery, or sometimes on the phone. If anything, Brooklyn saw this as evidence that he would be amazing at the job she was hoping he’d take. The man could juggle a lot at one time. But between Alec being out of town for his interview, and Brooklyn having her pivotal fertility clinic visit today, she really wanted to feel like one thing was settled. Yay or nay, she had to know.

So she left her apartment fifteen minutes before Virginia was due to swing by and pick her up. Just so she could stalk Cy.

Sure enough, he was occupied when she got down to the lobby, helping Mrs. Silverman, one of the oldest residents of the building, into a taxi. He’s so good, was all Brooklyn could think as she watched him make sure the woman was safely in the back of the car before closing the door.

“Cy, can we chat for a minute?” Brooklyn asked as he strode inside.

“I have a feeling I know what you want to talk about.”

“The job offer?”

“Yes.” Cy seemed almost embarrassed, which was worrying, but at this point, she’d prepared herself for bad news. “I haven’t talked to my wife yet.”

“Is there a problem?”

He sighed, heavily, like he had boulders resting on his shoulders. “I was going to talk to her the day you asked me. I was excited. Thrilled. And then I get home and she shows me a stack of cruise brochures she’d sent away for. She says she wants to take early retirement from her job. And it threw me for a loop. I’m thinking to myself we have very different visions of what our future looks like. And I didn’t have the nerve to ask her.”

This astounded Brooklyn. How could Cy and his wife be on completely different pages after being together so long? They’d just celebrated forty years of marriage. Brooklyn knew this because Cy brought it up every day for a week before the party their kids threw for them. “I don’t know your wife, Cy, so this is hard for me to weigh in on.”

“It’s just that work has always been very important to me, and sometimes, she thinks it’s because I don’t want to be with her. When it’s not that at all. I simply like staying busy. It’s more than a paycheck. I like feeling like I have a purpose.”

“That makes perfect sense.” She patted him on the shoulder. “If you need more time, take a few more weeks to decide. After that, I’m going to have to start looking for someone else. But I do want you to know that you won’t hurt my feelings if the answer is no, okay?”

“You’ll still like me, Ms. Monroe?”

“I’ll adore you, Cy. Always.”

“Phew. Now that’s a relief.” He grinned wide and strode toward the door, opening it for her. “Off to work?”

“Not exactly. A meeting away from the office.” A big black SUV pulled up to the curb and Virginia rolled down her window and waved. “That’s my sister to pick me up.”

“Have a good day.”

“You, too,” Brooklyn said, hoping that would also prove to be true for herself. She climbed into the waiting car as Virginia scooted across the seat and buckled in.

“Hey there,” Virginia said.

“Morning. Thanks for picking me up.”

The car inched away from the curb. “No problem. I’m excited you invited me along.”

“I need the moral support.”

Virginia reached over and patted the back of Brooklyn’s hand. “It’ll be fine. You don’t have to do anything other than listen to what they have to say.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Brooklyn pulled a lip balm out of her purse and reapplied. It was getting colder every day and her lips were taking a beating from dry air. Kissing Alec hadn’t helped much either, but she considered it a small price to pay for that. “I just talked to Cy about the job. He needs a few more weeks to decide.”

“Is there a Plan B?”

“Like with most things in my life, the answer to that question is no.”

“We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry too much.”

“I know. I just hate having things hanging over my head. I live to take things off my to-do list.”

“I hear you. I practically have an orgasm when I can cross something out in my planner.”

Brooklyn let out an unflattering snort. “Sometimes I write down things I’ve already done, just so I can cross them off.”

“Has Alec gotten anywhere with connecting you with investors? If we’re going to do this, I feel like we need to jump on it. You never know with Mom. She doesn’t always listen.”

“He helped me a ton before he went out of town. He connected me with a woman named Kristin who brokers deals like this. It’s not that different from when we first raised capital to start Posh Post. Alec thinks it can come together quickly and Kristin seems to agree. She’ll give us an update soon.”

“Sounds like all we can do now is wait.”

The drive to the fertility clinic seemed like it took no time, which was a nice change of pace since the weeks before today had seemed to creep along. Virginia and Brooklyn rode up the elevator to the 4^th floor of an office building in the Flatiron district.

When they stepped off the elevator, Brooklyn was pleasantly surprised. As nice as the lobby looked on the clinic’s website, it was even more beautifully appointed in person. With furnishings in white and pale gray, and the most flattering lighting Brooklyn had ever seen, it felt like walking into a sliver of serenity. “This is really nice,” she said to Virginia as they approached the reception desk.

“Beautiful.”

“And so quiet,” Brooklyn muttered.

“I’d love to come here and take a nap.”

The woman seated at the desk was tapping away at her computer, and she smiled, quite pleasantly, but was still looking at the screen. “I’m so sorry to keep you wait—” She turned, laid eyes on Brooklyn, and a tiny squeal leaked out of her mouth. “Ms. Monroe. We’ve been waiting for your arrival.”

“You have?” Brooklyn was a little taken aback. When she’d made her appointment, it had all been very straightforward and completely devoid of squealing.

She laughed and knocked her head back and forth. “Yes. Everyone at the clinic is very excited.”

“They are?”

She leaned forward and peered up at Brooklyn. “I don’t want to alarm you, but a lot of the techs and nurses are big fans,” she whispered. “And the doctors adore you. New appointments are up fifteen percent.”

“Because of me?”

The woman nodded eagerly. “Every time you’re on TV, there’s a new influx of patients.”

Virginia elbowed Brooklyn in the ribs. “Sounds like somebody has some fans.”

This was all way too weird, but gosh, it was nice to feel so welcome.

“I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Beverly,” the receptionist said, getting up from her desk. “Let me take you back to Dr. Alcott’s office. I’ll be sure to get her right in to see you. I know you’re a very busy woman.” She led Brooklyn and Virginia down a hall. It was a short trip, but several nurses stopped and politely said hello. “Here we are.” She waved Brooklyn and Virginia into a truly lovely office, decorated in placid shades of blue, with crisp white walls, zero clutter, and was that the smell of fresh-baked shortbread cookies? It was like something out of a Scandinavian home magazine, or an ultra-cool display at Ikea.

“Now, what can I get you to drink? We have mineral water, sparkling or flat. We have every flavor of herbal tea you can imagine. We also have vegan hot cocoa made with organic fair-trade cocoa.”

“Uh. I’ll have the cocoa,” Brooklyn said. When in Rome.

“Just sparkling water for me,” Virginia answered, taking off her coat and slinging it over the back of one of two modern upholstered chairs opposite the doctor’s desk.

“Perfect. I will be right back. Dr. Alcott will be in any minute now.”

Brooklyn took a seat. “Well, I’ll tell you one thing, I’m way less nervous now.”

“Talk about rolling out the red carpet.”

“Actually, I scoured the Google reviews and everyone had wonderful things to say about the staff. I just didn’t know it was going to end up being so true.”

Beverly appeared moments later with their drinks, delivered on a glossy white serving tray. “Please don’t hesitate to let Dr. Alcott know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Did I hear my name?” A sweet and fluttery voice came from behind them, and a tiny woman wearing a white lab coat ambled into the room. She came to a halt right in front of Brooklyn. “Ms. Monroe. Truly, we are honored that you’ve chosen our little clinic.” She turned. “And let me guess, you’re her sister.”

“Guilty as charged. I’m Virginia.”

“Splendid,” Dr. Alcott said. Sitting in her chair, she took a moment to address both Brooklyn and Virginia again, with an easy grin and a calming presence. She was what Brooklyn imagined Mrs. Claus might have looked like in her late forties, with a flush in her cheeks and kind eyes. “Normally, this is the time when I ask a new patient what brings them here, but I think we all know what Brooklyn Monroe wants. To have a baby. On her terms. On her own.”

“Yes. Exactly.” It was so nice not to have to explain herself for once.

Dr. Alcott swung her chair around and pulled out a three-ring binder, which she gently placed on the desk in front of Brooklyn. The cover had photos of dozens of smiling babies, and it made Brooklyn’s heart swell. “This will be your guide during this journey. It contains everything you need to know about the sequence of events that will happen over the next several months. And most important, it includes a phone list for key staff. If you ever have a question, or doubts, or are worried about even the slightest thing, I want you to call us. We are here for you.”

Brooklyn scooted forward on her chair and opened the binder. Inside was tabbed sections with titles like “Schedule”, “Appointments”, and “Lab Work”. It was all highly organized and very thorough. “This looks wonderful.”

“So as soon as you’re ready to put your trust in us, we’ll start with the basic fertility assessment. Blood work, exam, and ultrasound. After that, we’ll start you shopping for a donor in our database and we’ll decide on best course for insemination. At every step, our in-house psychologist will be available for counseling if you’re feeling unsure or are encountering any emotions you hadn’t quite counted on. And of course, I’m here to chat whenever you need me.”

“It all sounds amazing.” Brooklyn loved having so much support and reassurance, but there was also this little voice in the back of her head that was expressing doubt. Perhaps she simply needed to get more comfortable with the idea. Coming to the clinic today had been a big step, one that was worth acknowledging.

“What’s your success rate, Doctor Alcott?” Virginia asked.

“I’m proud to say we average 88 percent within three cycles. Depending on when we start, you could be pregnant by late winter or early spring.”

Brooklyn’s heart leapt at the prospect, despite that stupid little voice in her head. “I guess I’ll just go ahead and make my first appointment then.”

“Wonderful. Beverly will be happy to get you all squared away at the front desk.” Dr. Alcott stood and reached out to shake hands with Brooklyn. “And thank you, Ms. Monroe. We can’t wait to help you have a baby.”

Brooklyn and Virginia returned to reception, where a perpetually upbeat Beverly booked Brooklyn’s appointment for her fertility assessment, the week after Thanksgiving.

“I’ll call you if we have any cancellations and can get you in any sooner,” Beverly said.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

Outside, Brooklyn and Virginia waited by the curb for Virginia’s driver to pick them up. “Well?” Virginia asked. “Pretty awesome, huh?”

“Yes. I don’t think I could have asked for anything more.”

Virginia squeezed Brooklyn’s arm and looked her square in the eye. “You could be pregnant by Valentine’s Day. Just think about that.”

Brooklyn smiled and nodded. “I know. Crazy, right?”

Virginia cocked her head to one side and narrowed her gaze on Brooklyn. “You’re having doubts, aren’t you?”

Her sister knew her so well. Too well. “No. Not really. I’m just…” She wasn’t sure what she was, other than 99% convinced that this was the right thing to do and 1% undecided if this was her best path forward.

“I hope you know it’s totally normal to question this. The minute I found out I was pregnant with Dallas, I freaked. We’d spent four months trying to get pregnant, and then the minute I saw the plus sign on the stick, I panicked and asked Tom what in the hell we were doing.”

“Really?”

“Really. And let me just tell you that absolutely nothing will prepare you for parenthood. The whole thing is scary and exciting. And probably the best thing you’ll ever do. But also the hardest. But nothing can ever fully prepare you.”

“So what you’re saying is that I just need to take the leap?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”