The Insemination

"You love too much, Clara," Jake said, his eyes not meeting hers.

Clara felt her heart drop to her stomach. The coffee shop around them buzzed with activity, but all she could focus on was the man sitting across from her, the man she'd given eighteen months of her life to.

"What do you mean I love too much?" she asked, her voice small. "How can anyone love too much?"

Jake sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "You're always in my space. Coming to my office all the time with lunch. You get gifts for my family on their birthdays. Even my nieces! Who does that?"

"I thought... I thought it was nice," Clara whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "Your family has been so good to me."

"It comes off as needy, it is giving desperation like you want me to marry you so badly," Jake said bluntly. "That's why I'm breaking up with you."

Tears spilled down Clara's cheeks. She reached across the table, grabbing his hand. "I'll stop getting gifts. I'll shower you with less love. I won't take lunch to your office anymore. You can eat whatever they have at the café. Just please, please don't leave me."

Jake pulled his hand away, a look of discomfort crossing his face. "There's something else, Clara. The most important reason."

"What?" she asked, dread filling her chest.

"I know I said I was cool with it before, but I'm not. You're too old for me."

Clara felt like she'd been slapped. "Too old? I'm 34 and you're 30. That's only four years!"

"I don't want to be with a woman who's older than me," Jake said firmly.

"When did you realize this?" Clara asked, her voice rising. "We've dated for eighteen months, and now suddenly you realize you don't want a woman who's older? How can you even say that?"

"I'm sorry, but I've moved on," Jake said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card, sliding it across the table.

Clara picked it up with trembling fingers. It was a wedding invitation. Jake's name was printed in elegant script, alongside another woman's name.

"You're getting married?" Clara whispered in disbelief.

"I am," Jake confirmed.

Clara felt her legs give out as she slid from her chair to the floor, sobs wracking her body.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Clara bolted upright in bed, her heart racing. Her alarm blared from her nightstand, its red numbers showing 6:30 AM. Her cheeks were wet with real tears.

"Not again," she groaned, hitting the snooze button. She flopped back onto her pillows, staring at the ceiling. "That was a close one. What a nightmare."

The dream had felt so real. The pain, the humiliation—all of it came right back, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"I need to either get a man or get a kid," she muttered to herself as she forced herself to get out of bed. "I'm 34. An old hag. No man wants me."

Clara shuffled to the bathroom, flicking on the light and wincing at her reflection. Her brown hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy from crying in her sleep.

"In ten years, I've been in five relationships," she told her reflection as she brushed her teeth. "And they all ended badly. I guess there's no love for me in this world."

She spat into the sink and rinsed her mouth. "I have to take matters into my own hands."

An hour later, Clara was dressed in a simple blue blouse and black pants, her hair neatly braided. She'd just finished applying her makeup when her phone rang. Sarah's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, Sarah," Clara answered, putting the call on speaker as she slipped on her shoes.

"Clara! How are you doing this morning?" Sarah's cheerful voice filled the room.

"I had that dream again," Clara admitted. "Oh, honey," Sarah sighed. "Don’t you think you should talk to someone, I mean its been over a month since you two broke up and every night you keep having night mares of the breakup, I guess this one hit harder than the others”

Clara sighed as she said, “I guess so too, I mean who breaks up with someone for loving them”, Sarah chuckled as she said, “He just used that as an excuse but enough talk about Jake, he is in the past and we need to forge ahead, you know, get you out there so you can meet other men and date again, fall in love again and finally find your Prince Charming” Sarah said with a smile.

"I've made a decision” Clara said as there was a pause on both ends and then she added, “I am going back to the fertility clinic."

"The fertility clinic?" Sarah repeated in shock. "You mean... you're going through with the IVF?"

"Yep," Clara confirmed, grabbing her purse. "I've already emailed Dr. Morrison. She said I can come in today."

"But you abandoned that process when you met Jake," Sarah protested. "Are you sure about this? Having a baby is a huge decision."

"I'm sure," Clara said firmly. "Thankfully, the donor I chose last time still has some sperm I can use. And hopefully it works because IVF is damn expensive. The last thing I want is going broke from making the baby and then having nothing to take care of it with."

"Clara," Sarah said gently, "maybe you should take some time to think about this. It's only been two months since Jake—"

"It's too late," Clara cut her off. "I've made up my mind. I want a baby, Sarah. I might not get the husband and the white picket fence, but I can still have a family."

Sarah was quiet for a moment. "Okay. If this is what you really want, I support you. Do you want me to come with you to the appointment?"

"No, I need to do this on my own," Clara said. "But thanks for offering. I'll call you after, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Clara ended the call and took one last look at herself in the mirror. "Today's the day," she told her reflection. "Today's the day I take control of my life."

The drive to the fertility clinic took twenty minutes. Clara parked her car and sat for a moment, gathering her courage. Was she making the right decision? Having a baby alone wasn't going to be easy. But the alternative—waiting for Mr. Right who might never come—seemed worse.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered, grabbing her purse and getting out of the car.

The waiting room of the fertility clinic was quiet, with soft music playing in the background. There was only one other person there, a tall man in a suit who was talking to a nurse at the reception desk.

"My regards to Mr. Cage," the nurse was saying as Clara approached, "and tell him his sperm is in safe hands."

The man nodded as he turned to leave. His eyes met Clara's briefly then he walked away, and the moment was gone.

"Ms. Stone?" The nurse smiled at her. "Dr. Morrison is expecting you. Follow me, please."

Clara followed the nurse down a hallway decorated with photos of smiling babies. Each one seemed to be saying, "This could be you! You could have a baby too!"

Dr. Morrison was waiting in her office, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a warm smile.

"Clara, it's good to see you again," she said, gesturing for Clara to take a seat. "It's been, what, almost a year?"

"18 months," Clara confirmed, sitting down. "I was seeing someone, but it didn't work out."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dr. Morrison said. "But I'm glad you've decided to continue with the IVF process. I've checked your file, and everything looks good. You've already completed most of the preliminary steps."

Dr. Morrison called out to the nurse. "Nancy, can you bring me the file for Ms. Stone's chosen donor?"

Nancy nodded and disappeared down the hall.

"Now," Dr. Morrison continued, "we'll need to run a few tests first, just to make sure everything's still in order. Then, if all goes well, we can proceed with the insemination today."

Clara felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. "Today? Really?"

"If that's what you want," Dr. Morrison said. "Your timing is good—you're in the right phase of your cycle."

Nancy returned with a red file and placed it on Dr. Morrison's desk. Another nurse came in shortly after with another red file, setting it down next to the first one before hurrying off.

For the next hour, Clara underwent various tests. Blood work, an ultrasound, more paperwork. By the time she was led to the procedure room, she was a bundle of nerves.

"Try to relax," Dr. Morrison advised as Clara lay on the examination table, her feet in stirrups. "This won't take long."

"Nancy, can you get the sperm sample ready?" Dr. Morrison asked.

Nancy nodded and went to a small table where the two red files lay. She hesitated for a moment, looking between them, then picked one up and left the room.

Clara closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. This was it. In nine months, she could be a mother. A single mother, but a mother nonetheless.

Nancy returned with a small vial. "Here you go, Doctor."

The procedure itself was quick but uncomfortable. Clara winced a few times but kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling tiles.

"All done," Dr. Morrison announced finally. "Now, I want you to lie here for about thirty minutes. Just relax."

As Clara lay there, a strange calm came over her. No more waiting for the right man. No more heartbreak. No more dreams about Jake or any other ex telling her she was too old, too loving, too anything.

After the waiting period, she cleaned up and got dressed. Dr. Morrison was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Thank you for this," Clara said sincerely. "I failed on the love front, but at least thanks to you, I have the chance of being a mom."

The doctor smiled warmly. "Don't give up on love, Clara. You never know—this baby could bring a lot of positivity into your life, and that includes your romantic life."

Clara smiled back, though she didn't quite believe it. "I hope you're right."

As she left the clinic, Clara pulled out her phone to call Sarah. The battery was almost dead, showing just 3% power.

"Hey, it's me," she said when Sarah answered. "My phone's about to die, so I just wanted to let you know it's done. I'll tell you all about it later, okay?"

"Wait, what? Already?" Sarah exclaimed. "That was fast!"

"I know. I'll call you when I get home. Love you!" Clara ended the call just as her phone died.

Back at the clinic, Dr. Morrison was in her office, finishing up some paperwork. She frowned as she looked around her desk.

"Nancy," she called out, "have you seen the Cage file?"

Nancy came in, looking confused. "I thought it was on your desk. There were two red files..."

They both began searching through the papers on the desk. Dr. Morrison found a red file and opened it, her eyes widening.

"What is this file doing here?" she asked slowly. Nancy paled as she looked at the name on the file.

"If this file is here, then which file did you give me for the insemination?" Dr. Morrison asked looking at Nancy.

They stared at each other in horror as realization dawned.

"Oh my gosh," Dr. Morrison whispered. "We just inseminated Devon Cage's sperm into Clara Stone."