"And that is why we want John to help us to have a baby."
The words, as spoken by our best friend and neighbour Mike, hung in the air for seconds after he had spoken them. I think that I realised the meaning shortly before my wife Natasha, because I was able to see her expression change to shock as I looked at her.
Across the table from me, and seated to Natasha's right, was Mike's wife and Natasha's best friend, Helen. As Natasha caught my eye to express with her look how startled she was, I could see Helen staring down at the table in embarrassment, not making eye contact with anyone.
I was the first to speak. "Mike, surely you don't mean..."
"That's exactly what I –" He leaned forward to put his elbows on the table, then paused and looked over at Helen. "Sorry, what we, mean. Helen is only going to have a chance of having a baby naturally if she has sex with another man, and...look, this is killing me to say this, but Helen and I have talked about this at length and we want that man to be you John."
I sat back and heard Natasha making a blowing sound, followed by the word "Wow." That pretty much summed up my immediate reaction.
When Mike and Natasha had invited us around for an evening meal earlier that day, we categorically had not been expecting this. The invitation to come round to theirs for food had been casually delivered by Mike in a phone call, and we had readily accepted, knowing we could call on our regular babysitter at short notice.
The couple had been our best friends for over 9 years, and meals together at one another's houses (always accompanied by a few bottles of wine) were a regular feature of our Fridays nights.
Natasha and Helen had met at university 15 years earlier, and indeed were still housemates when I had started dating Natasha 5 years after that. Mike had come onto the scene a year after me, and shortly after he started dating Helen we fell into our pattern of social foursomes.
Mike and I had also became friends, and all of this was further cemented when we all got married within 3 months of each other 2 years later, Natasha and Helen acting as head bridesmaid at each other's wedding, and Mike and I trading usher roles.
That was where things diverged however. Natasha got pregnant on our honeymoon, on what must have pretty much been our first attempt. That news had been greeted with great joy by everyone we knew, including Helen and Mike, and I was able to joke happily that I was "1 for 1" when it came to the pregnancy hit rate.
Our first child was joined 2 years later by a second, again Natasha falling pregnant at what must have been the first attempt (so my new joke became "2 for 2"). It was around this time that Helen first confided in Natasha that they had started trying to have a baby, but without success. As time went on it started to become obvious to Natasha that this was beginning to upset Helen, particularly when Natasha fell pregnant again two years later with the twins (yep, first attempt, but no public jokes this time).
Helen and Mike had become quite open with us both by then about the problems they were having conceiving, and it was around that time that they started getting medical advice. It became quickly apparent from tests performed that the problem appeared to be Mike, who had a sperm count which was so low that it made conception impossible. Helen was diagnosed as perfectly fertile, which she later confided in Natasha made her all the more upset.
Following the diagnosis, the couple's next action had been to try a sperm donor through IVF, and in the last two years they had gone through the process twice, but no eggs had taken.
Indeed, Mike had recapped all of this tale earlier tonight as we all sat at their dining room table. "The doctor's think that the physical stress of the process is getting too much for Helen, and they do not recommend that we go through it again." He had looked at Helen as he was saying this.
Helen had spoken up then. "I know I cannot go through that process and that disappointment again...but I just want my own baby! Why can't I have a baby?"
Natasha had leaned forward at this point, squeezing her hand.
Before dropping his bombshell, Mike had added. "Helen is not ready to give up on being a natural mum, and we are not ready to think about adoption yet...look, the two of us have discussed this at length, and can we cut to the chase?"
"Of course," answered Natasha, looking puzzled.
"Every test we have had tells us that Helen is absolutely fine, and fertile," said Mike. "Therefore, if she was to have...." He paused and winced with embarrassment. "If she was to have sex with a virile man who had a healthy sperm count, in a situation which did not have the stress of an IVF procedure, well, we think she would be likely to get pregnant."
He looked at Natasha and then at me, assessing our reactions, but the penny had not dropped at this point and we were both looking at him expectantly. However, Helen knew what was coming and her head went forwards in embarrassment, some of her black hair falling forwards over her face.
"If she went out and had sex with a stranger, it's dangerous, and who knows what STD's they might be carrying. Therefore, we asked ourselves the question; who do we know that we trust, who is healthy, and whose virility is in no doubt?" He paused, then delivered the words "And that is why we want John to help us to have a baby."
After our initial shocked reaction and exchanges of conversation as recounted earlier, Natasha turned to look at Helen and said, aggressively, "Let me get this right...you are asking me to agree to you and John having sex? To agree to him impregnating you with his sperm? To you having John's child? Am I understanding this right?"
Helen still had not lifted her eyes. I could see her body shaking slightly as if she was on the verge of tears, and she answered without looking at Natasha. "I am sorry Natasha....I should not have done this, should not have asked....I knew it was ridiculous to ask this, this will destroy our friendship..."
Mike spoke up. "That is exactly what we are asking, Natasha. The two of you are our best friends, and I know how horrible this suggestion must make you feel, and believe me the thought of Helen with any other man makes me feel awful...but we NEED this so much, we don't know what else to do."
There was silence after that. I certainly wasn't going to be the first one to speak up, and I didn't know how I felt about the whole situation. Definitely uncomfortable. I looked at Natasha. The 33 year old mother of my three children had a considering look on her face that surprised me, since part of me had been expecting the announcement from her that we were leaving immediately and that the friendship was over.
Natasha was 5'8" tall, with an attractive sensual face with clear blue eyes and wavy long blonde hair. She had a good body for a woman with three children, although it was not quite as athletic and hot as when we had first met (in that first three month period of fucking like rabbits), and was now more fleshy. Natasha was the only woman I had fucked in the last 10 years, and was definitely the only woman I had ever shot my sperm into to make pregnant. Right now her ample 36C breasts were resting on her arms, which were folded in front of her as she leaned forward at the table with a quizzical expression.