Gabriel pulled away and sat down heavily on a nearby chair.
“Did you cook or did Rebecca leave something?”
“Rebecca made lasagne.” Julia hopped off the table to retrieve a can of Coke from the fridge. She poured it over ice in a glass and handed it to him. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“The doctor isn’t sure it will work.” Abruptly, Gabriel placed the glass on the table.
“Oh, sweetheart.” She sat in the chair next to him and placed a hand on his arm.
“He’s pretty confident we could do artificial insemination if the reversal is unsuccessful, but I have to be tested to see if I’m producing viable sperm. When he has the results, he’ll determine if we should schedule a reversal or not. My test is scheduled for next week.”
“And?”
“Even if he performs the reversal, the probability of success is low.” He cleared his throat. “Since the procedure was done almost ten years ago, the chance of pregnancy is thirty percent. There’s a possibility of antibodies, scar tissue, and a secondary blockage point.”
“I didn’t realize it was so complicated.”
He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “It’s far more complicated than I expected. But it’s a credit to the doctor that he was thorough in his explanation. He also forbade me to smoke.”
“Well, that’s a good thing. When will we know if the procedure is successful?”
“He says I could be fertile within a few months or it could take a year.” He hesitated. “Or never.”
Julia sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I wish I’d gone with you. I could have supported you.”
“You were there in spirit.” He gave her a half-smile.
“If the sperm production is fine, then we could pursue artificial insemination. If we want, he’ll gather sperm at the time of the reversal and freeze them for us.” He toyed with her hair. “The doctor suggested you visit a gynecologist, in case there are fertility issues on your side.”
Julia grimaced.
Gabriel watched her expression carefully. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I don’t like those kinds of checkups, but I can see why it would be necessary. I’m due for one.”
“Unfortunately, the doctor also said that we’ll have to abstain from sex for three weeks after my procedure. He told me that there cannot be any ejaculation.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Three weeks? Scheisse.”
“Exactly. Are you still sure we should do this?”
“I’m not happy about having to be celibate for three weeks.” She shuddered. “But I was celibate a lot longer than that before.”
“Quite.” A smile played at the corners of Gabriel’s lips. “This will be new for both of us—marital celibacy. Who knew there was such a terrible thing?”
“I certainly didn’t. Except for, you know, one week a month.”
“That reminds me. We’ll have to ensure that one of the three weeks coincides with your cycle. Otherwise we might have to be celibate for four weeks.”
“You think of everything, Professor.”
Gabriel’s eyes appeared to darken. “I have needs.”
She pressed their chests together, bringing her mouth inches from his.
“As do I, Professor. I’m sure we can attend to some of those needs without involving your injured parts.”
“Injured parts?”
“I’ll take very good care of you and all your parts. You’ll need me to be your nurse.”
Gabriel slid his hands down to cup her backside.
“I like the sound of that. A nurse, a librarian, a student, a professor—is there no end to your talents, Mrs. Emerson?”
“None. In fact, I have another secret identity.”
“Oh, really?”
She brought her lips to the curve of his ear, “I’m also Lois Lane.”
“I think I’ll need to pick up my Superman suit from the dry cleaners.”
“Merry Christmas to me.”
“It will be.” He gave her a heated look, heavy with promise. “So we’ll schedule a few more appointments, but we’ve agreed to pursue this?”
“Yes.”
“And we’ve also agreed that we aren’t going to start a family until you graduate. This is all—preliminary.”
She smiled and kissed him, and then they decided to delay dinner in favor of celebratory kitchen table sex during which Gabriel pretended to be Superman, coming home after a long day of fighting crime.
(It must be said that superhero kitchen table sex was an even better domestic coupling than regular kitchen table sex.)
A few hours later, Julia and Gabriel sat on the floor in their bedroom, going through Sharon’s boxes. They found photo albums filled with baby and toddler pictures. They found toys and the bracelet Julia had worn in the hospital when she was born.