Author's Note.
First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who have encouraged me to keep writing just by reading my previous story. For those of you who are just discovering my work, welcome and thank you for giving me a share of your time so that I can try and tell you a story. If you are new I just want to give you a heads up, this is not going to be a quick read with a lot of graphic sex. My preference is to longer, slower love stories so if you are looking for something different I apologize and hope you find what you are looking for. But if you are sticking around, thank you and I hope you enjoy.
*****
"Come on honey, one more big push and we'll finally get to meet our baby boy."
"I told you we're having a GIRL!"
With one loud scream and a hard push, I felt the child that had been growing inside me finally make her way out into the world.
"Congratulations you two, it's a girl."
As the doctor placed our daughter on my bare chest, her father leaned down and kissed me on the forehead before kissing our daughter. Almost immediately, the little bundle of joy in my arms calmed down and stopped screaming. The doctors were busy around us doing their thing, but all that existed to me were her and her father.
"I love you, Mom." He said softly before kissing my lips.
"I love you too, Dad."
As we both lovingly watched our daughter who had fallen asleep, I couldn't help but think about just how much of a miracle she truly is and I knew her father, the man I loved, felt the same way.
It all started many, many years ago, long before either of us had been born. It all started when tensions between world powers finally reached a breaking point. Nobody really knows who fired first, nobody really talks about it anymore.
In the end, the human race essentially became an endangered species. But from the ashes rose a Phoenix of a new world. As nations began to rebuild, new leaders were elected, and new treaties were signed agreeing to the complete abolishment of weapons of mass destruction. Nobody wanted a repeat of what we had all been put through in the aftermath and it began an era of innovation. With more scientists focusing their studies on new ideas, advancements in multiple fields were made, many in direct relation to rebuilding society.
But our problems didn't end there. After a couple generations, scientists began to notice that the global population wasn't growing like it should have been. Even when governments started offering incentive programs to cover all the costs of raising a child up to the age of eighteen, the population just wasn't growing the way we needed it to. At the rate that it was going, life just simply wasn't sustainable.
That was when the Global Health Organization stepped in. A new mandate was created that required every man and women to report to a G.H.O. run fertility clinic for fertility testing. Those who were found to be fertile were then paired up with a fertile mate and then required to become pregnant within the next two years. Anyone who refused was shipped off to what became known as harvesting facilities whereas rumour had it all their sperm or eggs were harvested. One thing was for sure though, those who went into these facilities were never seen or heard from again.
It was controversial at first and many protested against these new laws, but eventually in time people began to accept them as the population began to grow once again and fertility centres began to outnumber harvesting facilities. It soon became a rare event to hear of someone refusing to participate in the program and many harvesting facilities began to close, often being replaced by a fertility centre.
But the story of how I came to be lying here, a beautiful baby girl sleeping softly in my arms and her father right next to us begins a little over one year ago, on my eighteenth birthday.
A Little Over One Year Ago...
"Happy birthday Alex and Grace!" Our family and friends cheered as my twin brother and I blew out the candles on our cake.
Many people would ask us why we didn't celebrate our birthdays separately now that we were older, but Alex and I just couldn't imagine doing anything else. We felt like it would ruin the bond we shared as twins and even as twins we were very close.
After the party was over and our guests had all left, my brother and I sat down with our parents as we did every year just to talk. But as we shared idle chit chat, we all knew what was on everyone's mind. Tomorrow Alex and I would report to the local G.H.O. fertility centre for our mandatory fertility testing. Tomorrow we would no longer be teenagers, we'd be adults. Tomorrow was seen as that final rite of passage into adulthood.
"So, are you two nervous about tomorrow?" Our father finally asked when the room had gone silent.
"Steven! You promised that you wouldn't bring tomorrow up unless they did." Our mother chastised our father.
"No, it's okay Mom, I don't think I'm speaking just for myself when I say that we're all thinking about it." Alex pointed out.
"Well, do either of you have any questions then?"
"Well I'd like to know what exactly is going to happen tomorrow." I asked, nervousness showing in my voice.
"Well I'll let your mother go in to more detail about how things differ between the men and the women, but you'll each be taken in to separate exam rooms where after a very long and detailed list of questions about your physical health and family medical history they'll also take a lot of fluid samples."
"And for us ladies Grace, we also go through a pelvic exam as well."
"Now if your test results come back saying you are indeed fertile; they will call you back in where you will be introduced to your new partner."
"And again, for us Grace, they will implant a small device just outside our cervix to make sure that we mate only with our selected partner. After that first time it falls out on its own."
"Well if that's the case than I hope I come back as infertile. I don't want them putting any sort of electronic device inside me."
"Grace that's a terrible thing to say, being able to have a baby is a true gift and there are many women out there who would give anything for that chance. I don't know what I would have done with myself if I hadn't been able to have you two."
It was true. I'd already seen two of my girlfriends go through this process only to find out they were infertile, and it had crushed them. One of my friends even had to be hospitalized after having an emotional breakdown about not being able to have children of her own.
"Now it's getting late and you two have a busy day tomorrow. You may be eighteen now, but I'm still your mother so off to bed with you both."
After saying goodnight to our parents, Alex and I made our way up to our bedrooms where we said goodnight to each other before going into our respective bedrooms.
After going through my usual nightly rituals, I found myself tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. It wasn't simply that I was nervous about tomorrow that was keeping me awake, but the fact that one simple day would decide the rest of my life was somehow unsettling. I wasn't the only one who was experiencing these emotions however, as I soon heard a very soft knock from the other side of the door that led to the bathroom Alex and I shared, followed by the door opening slowly. In anticipation of what it meant, I sat up in my bed and waited.
"Grace? You awake?"
"Yeah, come on in. I take it you couldn't sleep either?" I asked as I patted the bed next to me. Alex quietly crossed the room and slid in to my bed next to me.
"Yeah, I'm just so nervous about what tomorrow could mean. I don't know if I'm ready to be a father."
"Is anyone ever really ready? Besides, I know for a fact that you'll make a great father. If anyone has a reason to be nervous it's me. I'm the one who will have to carry the child for nine months and be responsible for feeding it for those first years after its born."
"Grace you're going to be a natural, I just know it. You're such a caring person that motherhood is going to suit you perfectly."
"Thank you."
"It is going to be strange though, having our lives go off on separate paths after all these years."
"I'm sure we'll have time to see each other again. It's not like we can't stay in touch. Maybe our new partners will let us all get a place together and we can raise our families together. Now how about you stay with me tonight and help me sleep for one last time. I always sleep better when you're holding me in your arms."
"That actually sounds like a wonderful idea. We haven't done this in a long time."
As Alex and I got comfortable and he wrapped me in his arms, I immediately felt all the worry leaving my body. We used the share the same bed all the time as kids, it was the reason our parents had given us our own shared bathroom so we wouldn't disturb them by having to sneak through the hallway. As I felt my eyes closing, I experienced a moment of sadness knowing that this could possibly be the last time we would get to share a moment as intimate as this.
The next day, I awoke first to the sounds of Alex softly snoring next to me. I laid there for a moment simply enjoying watching him sleep and trying to imprint this moment to memory before slipping out of the bed. I considered waking him but since only one of us would be able to use the bathroom at a time I decided to let him sleep a few more minutes. When it finally came time to wake him, a gentle nudge was all that it took.
"Come on Alex, it's time to get up. We don't want to be late for our appointment." When Alex opened his eyes, he smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile right back. Whoever got paired with him was going to be a very lucky lady.
"Why didn't you wake me sooner?"
"Because we can't both shower at the same time, so I thought I'd let you sleep a few more minutes. Now hurry up or we're going to be late."
"Alright but there's something I need to do first. Wait right here."
"Alright just hurry up."
Jumping up out of the bed, Alex ran back through the bathroom and into his own room. Seconds later he was back sitting on the bed next to me, a small, beautifully wrapped package with an ornate bow wrapped around it in his hand.
"I was going to give you this last night, but it slipped my mind. It doesn't matter though; the moment still fits."
"Alex it's beautiful, almost too beautiful to open."
"Well you're the one who said we're running short on time."
Delicately unwrapping the gift, I found a small ring box inside. Inside that box I found two beautiful gold bands.
"They're promise rings, one for each of us."
Taking the rings out of the box, Alex placed one ring in my hand, but never let it go.
"Grace, you are not only my sister, but you are also my best friend and there is not another person I would rather have at my side as we begin this new phase in our lives. I promise you that no matter what, I will always be there for you whenever you need me."
I was barely able to hold back the tears as I watched Alex place the ring on my finger. His words were absolutely beautiful, and I knew they came straight from the heart. It was a part of my brother that I rarely got to see, but when he revealed his soft side it was a wonderful feeling to be the object of it.
