The Preparation

Chapter 5: The Preparation

The Cross mansion looked different in the morning. Miia sat in her car in the driveway for ten minutes before she turned off the engine.

She'd spent the entire weekend in a state of paralysis. After Damien's phone call, she'd considered going to the police. But what would she say?.

Instead, she'd done research. She'd tried to find information about the previous surrogates, but there was nothing.

The same woman in the gray uniform was waiting at the entrance when Mia finally got out of the car. She looked Mia up and down with an expression.

"Ms. Chen. Dr. Reid is waiting in the medical suite. Please follow me."

The medical suite was on the second floor, a wing of the house that Mia hadn't seen during her first visit. Dr. Reid was there, along with a woman who introduced herself as Nurse Patterson.

"Good morning, Mia," Dr. Reid said.

"We're going to conduct a medical evaluation today. It's standard procedure for our surrogacy arrangements.

The evaluation lasted three hours. Blood work. Genetic screening. Ultrasounds. A psychological evaluation conducted by Dr. Reid himself. Have you ever experienced depression? Have you ever considered harming yourself?

Each question felt like a test.

When it was finally over, Dr. Reid walked her to a different room, a bedroom suite on the third floor.

"This is where you'll be staying during your evaluation period," he said. "We prefer to have our surrogates in-house for at least two weeks before we proceed with implantation. It allows us to monitor your health, diet, and sleep patterns. We want to make sure you're in perfect condition."

Mia looked around the room. It was beautiful, luxurious furnishings. But the windows were shut. And there was only one door, which Dr. Reid closed behind them as they stepped inside.

"Meals will be brought to you," Dr. Reid continued. "We have specific nutritional requirements during the pre-implantation phase. Nurse Patterson will check on you regularly. If you need anything, there's an intercom system. Just press the button."

"I need to go home," Mia said. "I need to make arrangements for my brother. I can't just disappear."

"Victoria has already handled that," Dr. Reid said. "The home health aide is with your brother now. Everything is taken care of."

"What? No, I need to…."

"You need to rest," Dr. interrupted. "You've had a stressful few days. Sleep will do you good. Nurse Patterson will bring you dinner."

He left before she could protest further, and she heard the lock click into place behind him.

At six o'clock, Nurse Patterson arrived with a tray of food. She was a severe-looking woman with cold eyes.

"Eat," she said, setting the tray on the dresser.

"Why am I locked in?" Mia demanded. "This isn't what I agreed to."

"You agreed to a comprehensive evaluation," Nurse Patterson said calmly. "That includes monitoring your behavior patterns and mental stability in a controlled environment.

"I want to leave. I want to speak to Damien."

"Mr. Cross isn’t available right now. Eat your dinner. I'll come back for the tray in one hour."

She left, locking the door behind her.

Mia sat on the bed, staring at the food. It looked normal, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, and brown rice. But she didn’t know if something was in it.

She forced herself to eat anyway. Whatever was happening, she needed strength.

The night was long. Mia lay in the darkness, listening to the sounds of the house. At some point, she heard footsteps in the hallway. They stopped outside her door and they moved away.

Someone had been standing outside her room, listening.

The next morning brought no clarity. Nurse Patterson arrived with breakfast. More blood work. More questions. Dr. came by to check her vitals.

"When can I leave?" Mia asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"When your evaluation is complete," Dr. Reid said. "Typically three to five days."

"And if I want to leave before then?"

Dr. Reid set down his stethoscope. "There are legal consequences for breaking a surrogacy contract, Mia.

Financial penalties. Lawsuits. We could claim fraud, breach of promise, anything. You'd be sued for the cost of the medical procedures we've already conducted.

"You can't keep me here against my will."

"No one is keeping you here against your will," Dr. Reid said. "You're free to leave whenever you want. But you'll do so knowing that we'll take every legal action.

He left her alone again.

By the third day, Mia had stopped trying to leave. She'd accepted the reality of her situation: she was trapped.

On the fourth morning, Victoria came to visit.

Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, taking Mia's hand in hers, and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Dr. says your vitals are excellent.

"I want to go home," Mia said. "To my brother."

"Of course you do," Victoria said, squeezing her hand gently. "And you will. But not yet. We're almost ready for implantation. Just a few more days.

There was something in Victoria's eyes. Not kindness. Something possessive.

"I want to leave," Mia said. "Right now. I'm done."

"You can't leave," Victoria said, not unkindly. "Not because of locks or legal consequences. You can't leave because of your brother."

Victoria led her to a study Mia hadn't seen before. A large screen displayed a live video feed.

It was her brother Danny. He was in his bed at home, unconscious. Beside him sat a woman Mia didn't recognize, monitoring his vitals.

"What have you done?" Mia breathed.

"Nothing harmful. Yet," Victoria assured her. "Danny's been given a mild sedative. He'll wake up in a few hours. But I wanted you to understand something, Mia. Your brother's care is now completely under our control.

"You can't"

"We can," Victoria interrupted. "The surrogacy contract includes a clause allowing us to assume guardianship over dependents during the surrogacy period. You signed it."

Mia hadn't read that clause. She'd skipped it, assuming it was standard legal language.

"If you try to leave," if you go to authorities, or do anything, Danny's surgical intervention he needs will be permanently canceled.

Mia felt her knees weakening. She sank into a nearby chair.

Victoria stood, smoothing her designer dress. She looked every bit the elegant society wife again.

"You'll remain in your room until the implantation procedure tomorrow morning at eight AM," Victoria said. "Nurse Patterson will bring you a special diet tonight nothing by mouth after midnight. Damien would like to see you this evening at seven o'clock."

She left Mia alone with the video feed still playing.

Mia stood and pressed her palm against the screen as if she could pull her brother to safety.

The hours until seven PM crawled by with slowness. Mia returned to her room, where Nurse Patterson brought her a tray labeled "Pre-Procedure Diet." Mia ate reluctantly.

At exactly seven o'clock, there was a knock on her door.

Damien entered without waiting for permission.

"Victoria told you the basics," he said.

"Yes."

Damien sat, maintaining distance. "Don’t worry, it’s nothing harmful, you’ll be fine okay?”

She didn't answer.

I can’t explain much but know I'll never harm you. He said quietly.

"He stood and moved toward the door. "The implantation is tomorrow morning. You'll be sedated. You'll wake up pregnant. And you'll spend nine months carrying it, protecting it, delivering it, he said, pausing at the doorway.

He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

After he left, Mia sat in darkness and made a decision. She would survive this. She would do as they asked.

She lay in bed that night, unable to sleep despite the sedatives in her dinner.

At four in the morning, the intercom came on. It was Dr. Reid's voice.

"Mia? We need to move the procedure up. The implantation needs to happen in the next two hours.

She heard running. Multiple people, moving with urgency.

And they were going to implant it regardless.