Chapter 1: When it's an Impossible Choice

1812 Words
“Did someone die?” I turned around to see who was talking to me. “Good morning Mr. Malcolm” I answered him and faced the elevator door once again. “After all this time you still call me ‘Mr. Malcolm’? What’s with the serious face?” He asked again. “It’s nothing. My sister called and apparently, my mom isn’t exactly doing well.” The elevator doors opened and we both got inside at the same time. “Is there anything I can do to help?” “I appreciate it, but no I doubt it.” I smiled at him.   After a while, we both reached our floor and went to our offices. I work at a company called “Malcolm Industries” and I’m the sales manager and the CEO of the company is going to give his place to his son soon, Stephen Malcolm. Due to Stephen’s…very CEO-like commitment…Maxim Malcolm, the current CEO asked me to teach his son how to manage sales and the growth of the company and prepare him to someday become a successful leader like himself. I usually work with Mr. Maxim directly when we’re in a meeting or if I have reports to send out, however, now with Stephen taking over it’s with him that I’m working more, which means I’m with him most of the time. I arrived at my office and my assistant gave me my morning coffee and updated me on all my meetings and schedules and that is basically how my very normal day starts. I sat down on my chair, turned on my computer, and started doing my job.   *After a couple of hours*   “Hey Olivia, Lea is coming over in an hour and she says she has something important to tell us. So, please be in my office by then.” Stephen said really quickly and left again. Lea is Stephen’s sister and she’s married which is why she doesn’t really care about the company’s heritage, she is more focused on starting a family, but she does pass by occasionally and with my 4 years of working here we became close. What could she possibly have to tell us? Lea never asked for a meeting before so I’m guessing it’s something personal. Anyway, an hour later I was on my way to Stephen’s office. When I got there, Lea was already there with her husband, Mark, and Stephen was sitting on the couch in the corner of his office. “What’s wrong?” I asked since the room’s vibe was very concerning. “Olivia, please have a seat there is something important I need to tell you all.”  She held my hands and said in a sad tone. I sat down next to Stephen and waited for Lea to start. “I already told dad and he’s actually the one that encouraged me to bring this up in the first place so here it goes.” She said “As you all know, Mark and I have been trying to get pregnant. However, it has been almost 6 months and still nothing.” She stopped. I looked at Stephen and he looked as confused as I did. “We were worried that something is wrong is one of us, so we decided to run some tests to make sure everything was okay.” Continued Mark since his wife obviously couldn’t. “My test results came back positive, but unfortunately …” he stopped too “Unfortunately, the doctor said that my body isn’t exactly very homelike for babies. Which means I can’t get pregnant.” I could see Lea’s eyes glisten after she finished her sentence. “You guys can always adopt, it’s okay sis,” said Stephen, and I nodded agreeing with him. “I know but we really want to have a child of our own. We want him or her to grow up and be able to say ‘she looks like you’ or ‘he has your temper’. I know this sounds very selfish and that many children need families but...” she said with a down expression on her face. “The doctor said there are other ways to have a child. One of them being adoptions and the other being surrogacy.” Mark was the one speaking now. “That’s great did you find someone to be your surrogate?” I asked starting to feel happy for them that they might be starting a family. No one spoke for a while and it started to concern me a little bit. “So?” Stephen said breaking the awkwardness. Lea looked at me and I started to worry almost sure what she was about to say. “Actually, we want our surrogate to be someone we both know and trust and that is close to us at all times. So, we were kind of hoping that you would be our child’s home for the next 9 months, Olivia.” She said hesitantly like she knew what my answer was going to be. I was speechless. I mean it’s an honor that she thought of me and that they trust me enough to ask me to do this incredible thing but… it’s a baby we’re talking about. A baby I will have to give up. I did not respond for a while and the tension in the room was starting to become very uncomfortable as they were all waiting for my answer. “Look, Olivia.” Lea knelt in front of me. “I know this is hard. Trust me I wish it did not have to come to this but I really want this. Of course, in no way am I forcing you it’s completely up to you. We just want you to think about it and if your answer is still no, then we will apply for adoptions or search for another surrogate.” She continued. Lea is my friend and she is ready to become a mother. I have seen her with kids and she fits the role perfectly but this… this is bigger than anything I could've imagined. She is asking me to give her a human being. “Olivia, we know the pressure we put you in but please just think about it. Please.” Mark said but I did not look at him as I was busy looking at the floor tiles hoping they could give me the answer. “Guys I think you should give her time. It’s a lot to take in.” Stephen, once again, broke the awkward silence. Lea nodded and stood up next to her husband. “We’re sorry, Oli.” Was the last thing Lea said before she and her husband left leaving Stephen and me alone. I felt Stephen staring at me so I leaned back on the couch and waited for him to say something. “Are you okay?” He asked “I don’t know.” I sighed. “What your sister just asked of me is bigger than me. If it was to give them an adoption recommendation letter it would’ve been ten times easier but this… this is basically giving birth to a child that isn’t mine or related to me in any way.” My voice slowly turning into a whisper. “I think it’s best if you go home and rest. It’s getting pretty late.” He placed his hand on my shoulder as if he wanted to comfort me. I stood up after I nodded and left the office to go home.   I had taken a shower and sat down on the bed thinking of what happened today. It was a hard choice to make. I mean, I do want to make them happy but at the same time, I’m doing something way too scary. “Hey, mom. How are you?” I decided to call my mom since momma knows best at the end of the day. “Hello, baby. Are you okay? You sound sad.” I heard her voice and it was obvious that she was tired. “Actually, I have something to ask you,” I replied thinking of how I’ll tell her about today. “You know Lea Malcolm, right? Well, today she came to the company and told us that unfortunately, she can’t get pregnant. The doctor told them they could adopt but they really want to have a baby of their own so she asked me if I could be their surrogate.” I continued. My mother did not say anything for a while and that did not help at all. “Mom? Your silence isn’t exactly helping.” I smiled trying to loosen the vibe. “Honey, it’s just that this is big. What do you want to do?” she responded after a while. “I don’t know. I was hoping you would help me.” “Mom, how did it feel when you gave birth to Emma and me?” I asked as soon as this question came to my mind. I heard her laugh. “Baby. It was the best feeling in the world. Of course, the pain before was horrible but it was worth it. It made me a mom and I wanted to protect you with everything I had.” She answered and I wish I never asked. “Sweetheart, becoming a mom is a big beautiful decision, and giving birth to a baby that is not yours is even bigger. So, it’s your choice if you want to do this or not, just don’t let this be the reason that hurts you in the future.” Finally, some advice.  I laughed at what my mom said thanking her for it and went on talking about her health and how everyone is doing at home.  She did help me a lot, but I don’t think I still made a decision. Was I going to be Lea’s surrogate? Or was I going to pass and not let this affect me? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will Olivia accept becoming the surrogate? How will this affect Olivia's relationship with Stephen?  Keep reading to find out. Don't forget to like the story for more. Stay Safe XOXO
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