Jennifer Taylor - The Baby Issue

‘No, he isn’t married,’ she replied hollowly. ‘His wife is dead. She died a month ago.’

He looked up, a frown drawing his brows into a straight line. ‘Around the same time as your sister died? Didn’t you tell me that it was a month ago that it happened?’

‘That’s right.’ Suddenly Anna knew that there was no point prevaricating any longer. She had to tell him the truth even though the thought of how he might react scared her.

She sat down again, wondering why it should matter what he thought. Ben’s opinion wasn’t going to change anything; it certainly wouldn’t make any difference to the situation. Nevertheless, she knew in her heart that she wanted him to understand and not think too badly of her.

‘Jo died a month ago, a month after I found out that I was pregnant. She was so pleased. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone who was so thrilled.’ She felt her eyes fill with tears and quickly blinked them away, knowing that she couldn’t afford to break down before she had told him the whole story. Ben didn’t say a word, leaving her to do all the talking, and in a way that made it easier. She would deal with his reaction later and simply concentrate on telling him the facts for now.

‘Jo always wanted a family, you see. She used to say that she’d been born into the wrong era because she wasn’t interested in having a career. All she ever longed for was a child to love and care for.’

‘Did she have problems conceiving because of her cancer?’ Ben asked quietly when she paused.

Anna nodded. ‘Yes. She couldn’t understand it at first. She and Mike decided to try for a baby as soon as they got married but it just didn’t happen. In the end, Jo went for tests and that was when they discovered that she had endometrial cancer.’ Her hands clenched around the cup as she recalled that painful time.

‘So what happened?’ he prompted, still in that same quiet tone that somehow seemed to make it easier to continue.

‘She was told that she would need a total hysterectomy, and have her Fallopian tubes and ovaries removed as well. At that point the doctors weren’t sure how far the cancer had spread but they were hopeful that they would be able to contain it.

‘Jo was devastated when she found out. I think she was more upset because she would no longer be able to have children than because she had cancer. That was when I decided that I had to help her.’ She faltered as she reached the really difficult bit in the story.

‘What exactly are you saying, Anna?’ He laid his hand on the table, palm up, and it seemed to her that she had never heard such gentleness in anyone’s voice before. ‘Tell me.’

She took a deep breath then slowly unclenched her hand and placed it in his, feeling the ripple that ran through her when she felt his fingers closing around hers. ‘That I offered to have a baby for her.’

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