Surrogate

My wife and I were happily married and dreamed of someday soon starting a family of our own. But shortly after the wedding my wife was in a terrible car accident and the resulting injuries left her unable to bear children. We were heartbroken and looked for an means to reverse the damage but there was nothing that could be done.

I was of course happy that my wife survived the accident and recovered quickly, but I was also sad knowing that we could never be parents together. Our turmoil was furthered by the fact that my wife was a nurse and would frequently stop by the maternity ward and admire all the perfect little newborns just waiting to be cuddled and loved. She would always come home with tears in her eyes.

We looked into adoption but the agency didn’t like the idea of a child being raised by a father who was a cop and a mother who was a nurse as both occupations have high risk factors. This seemed like the final nail in the coffin that was our future family and we ready to give up.

Then out of the blue we got a phone call from a woman who claimed that she would be able to help us. Her voice was calm, as she spoke you could feel yourself falling into a seductive lull.

“I know you want children,” the voice said. “I can help you.”

“How?” I asked, my voice shaking with excitement. “What can you do to help us?”

The voice responded with a soft giggle. “I know of a lovely young woman who would be an ideal surrogate to carry your children.”

“A surrogate?” I repeated. “We couldn’t possible afford to pay someone to carry a child for us.”

“Oh no, honey,” she replied with enthusiasm. “you misunderstand. This surrogate doesn’t want money, she simply wants to know what it feels like to bring new life into the world. Carrying your children would be all the reward she could ever ask for.”

“I, I don’t know.” I wanted to scream yes and tell my wife of the good news, but I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about a surrogate. “I’ll have to ask my wife.”

“I understand.” She sounded so sure of herself. “I will await your decision.”

“Wait! How did I get in contact with you again?”

“You don’t. I will call you.”

The phone line clicked off and the dial tone began buzzing. I hung up my phone and anxiously waited for my wife to get home from work.

Just as she had many times before she came home with tears in her eyes and I was desperate to comfort her. I sat her down on the couch and told her about the mysterious phone call and the generous offer. After I finished explaining the details her eyes lit up with a renewed sense of hope.

“Yes! Yes! Let’s do it! We can finally have our family! Call her back, go call-”

The phone began ringing as if on cue. I answered the call and was a little surprised to her the mysterious woman’s voice again.

“Did you speak with your wife?”

I could tell from her tone that she already knew the answer. “Yes, we talked it over and accept your offer.”

“Wonderful!” The woman replied with great vigor. “I’ll set up the appointment for tomorrow. See you at noon at the Hillside Clinic.”

Before I could say anything else she hung up the phone.

“Well?” My wife asked, her hands knitted together in anticipation.

“Tomorrow at noon, we meet the surrogate.”

My wife let out a squeal of joy as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. She kissed at my neck and spoke into my ear. “Finally! We’re going to be parents! I’m so happy!”

——————————————————————————————

The next morning my wife was up and about making breakfast and looking through various websites full of baby clothes, baby toys, cribs, strollers, the works! It was such a magnificent site to my wife so full of life again.

As the hour drew near for our appointment my wife insisted on leaving early so we could stop at a few stores on the way and start picking out furniture for the baby’s room. I happily obliged and watched as my wife checked ever little knick-knack and toy in the store. I glanced down at my watch.

“Honey? If we don’t leave now…”

“Okay! Let’s go!” Her eyes were bright with excitement as we walked back to the car.

We arrived at the clinic on time and were a little taken aback by the buildings structure. It was very extravagant for a clinic, three stories tall and at least an acre in size. Giant glass windows made the building very inviting, large white doors were like the gates of Heaven. The sweet smell of diluted chlorine filled at air and splashing for a pool behind the clinic made the building seem more like a resort than anything else.

Walking inside we were greeted by a young, blond nurse with a clipboard.

“Are you our noon appointment?”

“Yes,” I answered. “we were told to come here at noon, but I don’t know who-”

“Lil.” the nurse responded nonchalantly, clicking the pen in her hand. “She handles all the appointments.”

“Oh.” I replied. “Where is she?”

“She’s off today. I’m Eve, follow me please.”

I squeezed my wife’s hand as we were escorted to separate examination rooms down the hall. My wife playfully wished me luck as she slipped into the room with Eve at her heels.

I sat on the exam table and waited patiently for Eve to return or a doctor to arrive. I didn’t have to wait too long until a doctor walked into the room with a small clipboard in his hands. “Hello, I’m Dr. Connor. According to this chart you and your wife have hired a surrogate.”

“That’s right.” I was feeling a little nervous knowing what was going to happen next.

“Alright. We just need a specimen sample and we’ll get the procedure underway.”

“What? So soon?”

Dr. Connor eyed me suspiciously. “Second thoughts?”

“No! Of course not!” I was a little offended. “It’s just we haven’t even met our surrogate yet.”

“Oh, I see.” He chuckled a little like I made an ignorant observation. “Don’t worry about that. She’s healthy, clean, well educated and ready to go.”

“That’s, well that’s not what I meant.”

“I know, you want to see her for yourself as a means of validation. Right?”

“Yeah.” I rubbed at the back of my neck nervously.

“You will after the procedure. Now, take this cup and I’ll give you some privacy.”

He walked out of the room and left me to ‘take care of business’.

——————————————————————————————

After everything was said and done, my wife and I were sitting in the waiting room holding each other’s hands. Dr. Connor walked down the hall and toward us.

“Everything went well, but we won’t know if the procedure worked for about six weeks.”

My wife tightened her grip on my hand. “Six weeks, think we can wait that long?”

“We will wait an eternity we have to.” I tried to sound confident but she knew I was just as anxious as she was.

——————————————————————————————

Six weeks passed slowly with my wife and I eagerly waiting for the phone to ring. Just as we were about to lose all patience the phone finally rang and the woman, apparently named Lil, was on the other end.

“Congratulations.”

My wife and I embraced and laughed for a moment before I responded. “That’s terrific! When can we meet the surrogate, we want to thank her!”

There was a brief pause before Lil answered. “Tomorrow, if you really want to meet her.”

“We do! Please send her our way, our address is-”

“I already know. She will be there tomorrow at noon.”

She hung up the phone and I was left with the dial-tone buzzing in my ear.

“Tomorrow at noon.” I repeated.

“Finally!” My wife began crying in joy. “We will have a baby!”

The next day, right at noon, the surrogate arrived. My wife had to work so the pleasure of meeting the surrogate was mine alone. I opened the door and was greeted by a tall, slender woman with wavy black hair that reached her waist. Her eyes were very bright brown, almost amber and her lips were ruby red. She smiled warmly and extended her hand to introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Kathy.”

“Hi, I’m Logan.” I shook her hand and was startled at how cold it felt. “Come in, please.”

She nodded and stepped inside. “Is your wife home?”

“Not for another hour.”

“Oh, good! I’d like to meet her.”

“She’d like to meet you as well.” I responded, glad that she was going to stay.

We sat on the couch and chatted for a while over some tea. She was a very pleasant young woman and seemed genuinely happy to carry a child for my wife and I.

My wife returned home and was thrilled to see Kathy sitting on the couch. Together they sat and talked for hours discussing everything from baby names to clothes and back. I didn’t say too much, I was just happy to listen.

As the day came to an end Kathy decided it was time to leave. Just before she got to the door my wife asked her the one question I was too shy to ask.

“Kathy, before you go. Can I, can we, touch your belly?”

She smiled and lifted her shirt slightly. “Of course Sarah, go ahead.”

I watched as my wife’s trembling hand pressed against Kathy’s stomach and tears of joy welled up in her eyes. I was tempted but decided that I’d wait until the baby was bigger and started kicking.

From then on Kathy would stop by on a daily basis to chat with us and update us on the condition of our growing child.

But I was a little surprised to see that only by the eighth week Kathy’s belly was beginning to show. My wife assured me that some woman show sooner than others and that it wasn’t anything to worry about.

By the twelfth week Kathy had a distinct bump under her shirt and she was looking a little thinner than she had before. My wife made sure to offer Kathy plenty of snacks and tea to keep her content and Kathy wasn’t shy about accepting.

Sixteen weeks into Kathy’s pregnancy and it was finally donning on me that I was going to be a father! Just as my wife had done earlier I began checking online for baby toys and clothes and furniture. I could even feel my child kicking in her belly from time to time.

But by joy was short lived when Kathy suddenly started feeling ill.

I was worried that there was something wrong with the baby and with my wife being a nurse we offered Kathy the chance to live in our guest bedroom until the baby arrived. She accepted the offer and made herself at home.

After twenty weeks I was a little shocked to see how big Kathy had gotten. She was wearing large maternity tops and sweatpants, but the rest of her body seemed to be getting smaller. She would eat non-stop and have the most bizarre cravings. At first her cravings were simple like chocolate, ice cream or cheese. Then they evolved to sushi and raw meat in general… It turned my stomach to watch her eat but she couldn’t seem to get enough.

Twenty-four weeks into her pregnancy Kathy began to complain of her abdomen hurting her, like a heavy burning pain that would not cease until she ate something. My wife and I were happy to feed her and my wife insisted that abdominal pain wasn’t uncommon during pregnancy because of all the muscles being stretched and the baby kicking. I had a different idea and I hated myself for thinking it, but I began to suspect her abdomen was hurting because she was already quite big and was eating non-stop, making her belly bigger everyday!

When the twenty-eighth week passed it took every ounce of willpower I had not to stare at Kathy’s figure. Her belly was round but the rest of her was skeletal. Her dark hair had become thicker and shinier, her eyes brighter and hormones… Well, her hormones were raging. Whenever my wife was at work Kathy would hit on me, trying to seduce me. Insisting that because she was carrying my child that it was okay for me to have sex with her. I turned her down only to watch her cry and then wrapped her arms around her abdomen as the baby kicked quickly. I could actually see the small bumps and bulges from my child as it squirmed in her abdomen.

I was getting scared, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to call my wife when Kathy grabbed my wrist and glared at me.

“No, don’t do that. You’ll upset him.”

“Upset… Who?” I asked, alarmed at her reaction.

My wrist still in her grip, she pulled my hand over and placed it on her moving belly. “Him. Your son.”

Just then I heard the front door open and my wife walk inside. She made her way to Kathy’s room to check on her. I slowly backed out of the room, unsure of what just happened.

I went into my bedroom and sat on the bed, trying to understand what was going on. My wife joined me in the bedroom, she sat on the bed next to me and took off her shoes.

“So,” she asked. “Kathy seems happy.”

“She…” I paused for a moment, unsure if I should tell my wife what happened or not. “I think Kathy is getting a little restless…” I chose my words carefully.

My wife kissed me on the cheek. “It’s common for all women to get restless as their pregnancy progresses. Especially with all the excess hormones and mood swings, she’s fine.”

I didn’t say anything, I just laid back on the bed.

Sensing my discomfort my wife laid down next to me and wrapped her hand around mine. “Just think, if I were pregnant I’d be just as crazy and moody…” She kissed my neck. “and big!”

I had to laugh at the last part. “I hope she doesn’t get too much bigger.” I commented.

“She shouldn’t. Remember when I said some women show sooner than others?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, someone get BIGGER than others, too.”

“I guess!” I replied. “Makes me appreciate having a child that much more.”

Thirty-two weeks into the pregnancy Kathy was more insistent and relentless with her romantic pursuits toward me. Despite all the times I’ve explained to her that I love my wife and would never cheat on her, Kathy would argue that sleeping with the woman who was carrying our child wouldn’t count as cheating.

Fortunately for me her belly had gotten bigger and she couldn’t get off her bed too often to pester me. I continued to bring her raw meat to dine on, but no matter how much I brought her to eat it was never enough. I resorted to buying up to nearly thirty pounds of meat per week and giving her large portions to snack on.

After each binge I could hear her moaning in pain as her distended abdomen shook with the kicking baby inside. Her mouth covered in drool and bits of uneaten meat sickened me to no end. I was counting the days until she finally went into labor and I’d have my son.

“My son…” I kept saying to myself. “This is for my son.”

Thirty-six weeks and I was at my breaking point. Kathy was gluttonous and would spew crazy notions about how I wasn’t doing enough to please my son or how I was neglecting her needs by rejecting her sexual advances. Whenever I went to check on her she’d grab my hands and place them on her massive stomach.

“He needs you…” She’d give me this spine chilling glare as she spoke. “I need you.”

“Enough!” I said pulling my hands away. “I can’t take this anymore. I understand your going through alot of changes right now and-”

Kathy suddenly screamed and clutched at her belly.

“What? What is it?” I was worried that she had gone into labor.

She rolled on her side away from me and growled at me under her breath. “You made him upset…”

As Kathy’s due date grew nearer I grew more impatient. My wife took time off from the hospital in case Kathy went into labor early. I was just glad that I wasn’t alone with that madwoman anymore.

At the thirty-ninth week my wife and I were startled awake by Kathy screaming from her room. We rushed through the door and saw Kathy propped up against her pillows on her bed, her hands on both sides of her belly. “He wants out!” She screamed.

My wife put her hands on Kathy’s belly and looked at me over her shoulder. “It’s time. Bring the car around.”

It was difficult getting Kathy into the car because she was so big. Her largest maternity top was barely concealing her shapely figure and she could barely walk on her thinned legs.

I drove while my wife sat in the backseat with Kathy and timed the contractions. Kathy screamed and my wife looked at her watch. “Six minutes apart! Logan, we need to get her to the clinic, the hospital is too far and this baby is coming fast.”

As the car pulled into the parking lot of the clinic a small group of doctor’s and nurses were waiting, like they knew we were coming. Before I had time to get out of the car the backseat doors flew open and the doctor’s and nurses put Kathy in a wheelchair and wheeled her into the clinic. My wife and I tried to follow but Eve told us to sit in the waiting room, we could hear Kathy screaming from the delivery room on the other side of the clinic.

Within an hour a woman we had never seen before came down the hall. She motioned for us to follow as she led us to the maternity wing. Through a large window she pointed to basinet on the other side of the glass.

From beneath the light pink blanket I saw a squirming mass, screaming. “This is your daughter.”

“She’s perfect.” I said to myself, even though I was expecting a boy.

Just then a nurse walked into the room with another newborn in her arms.

“And this is your son.”

“Son…?” My wife and I looked at each other. “Twins?!”

We looked at the other baby in amazement before it turned into unparalleled horror. The newborn that laid beneath the light blue blanket was not human. His skin was grey, his fingers were unnaturally long and pointed like claws, his toes were two small hooves and what looked like small horns were beginning to protrude from its head.

“What… What is that THING?”

The escort that showed us down the hall answered matter-of-factly. “Your son.”

‘That voice…’ I thought to myself. “Lil?”

She smiled evilly. “I promised you children, did I not?”

“Where’s Kathy?” I demanded.

Lil smiled broader. “Gone. Off to another family I suppose.” She cooed at the demonic infant through the window before she began walking down the hall. “Kathy loves brining new life into the world. All life is sacred.”