The Greatest Gift

by Rachael Johns

  Although they hadn’t specifically said they were financially secure like many of the other potential recipients and they hadn’t even mentioned religion or education, something about Claire’s plea tugged at Harper’s heartstrings. And they were hot air balloonists! Had she ever heard anything so delightful? And they had cats. Although she’d never had a pet herself, she liked the idea of children growing up with animals. Hadn’t she read somewhere that pets were good for them? Or maybe that child psychology expert she’d interviewed had mentioned it. Either way, the cats felt like a good sign—if they could look after animals, then they were obviously nurturing and responsible people. Then there was the fact they lived in the Hunter Valley. She liked the idea of the baby enjoying an outdoor lifestyle and smiled at the empty wine bottles on the table. They just happened to be from her favourite winery in that region.

  If that wasn’t a sign, she didn’t know what was.

  Chapter Ten

  Dear Claire and Jasper,

  My name is Harper Drummond and I’m reaching out to you after reading your advertisement for an egg donor.

  A little bit of background about me: I’m 34 years old, married (with no children) and I work in the media. I grew up in Sydney (where I now live) but have worked in various parts of the world on location as a journalist. I love travelling, watching Friends on TV, reading crime novels and biographies, hanging out with my sister and swimming, which I do three mornings a week.

  I’ve attached a recent photo, but here are my physical details as well: dark brown, straight hair; pale green eyes; 170cm; 76kg; fair skin (parents both Caucasian, fourth generation Aussies with English heritage). As far as I know there are no genetic illnesses in my family and I have had no health issues in my life thus far.

  For personal and professional reasons, my husband, Samuel, and I have decided not to have children of our own. However, I recently interviewed an egg donor and her recipient couple for my work and their story really touched my heart. I thought, if I don’t want to use my eggs, why not give them to someone who does? I have been to see my GP and have had an AMH test, which showed that I am a good candidate to donate eggs. I feel like this is something I would love to do and my husband is supportive of my decision.

  If you feel I may be your donor, I look forward to hearing from you and would be happy to answer any further questions you may have, and/or arrange a face-to-face meeting to chat.

  Kind regards,

  Harper

  ‘Oh my God!’ Claire hissed the words under her breath as she leant towards her computer screen and re-read the email that had landed in her inbox only seconds ago. She wanted to be sure she hadn’t imagined it before she dragged Jasper in here to take a look.

  They’d finally had their first reply and this woman sounded absolutely perfect. As she jolted to her feet, her office swivel chair skidded across the floor. She sprinted into the shed where Jasper and his dad were busy doing their post-flight check and maintenance.

  ‘Jasper,’ she shrieked, loud enough to be heard over the Cold Chisel song blaring from the stereo. ‘Quick. Come. I need to show you something.’

  His lips twisted at the edges as he looked up from the floor where he’d been replacing a skid on the bottom of a basket. The basket lay on its side and Jasper had a sheen of sweat across his brow. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Is it arvo tea time, love?’ Paul asked, wiping his hands on his old work shorts.

  Claire shook her head at her father-in-law and grabbed her husband by his hands, hauling him up off the ground with a strength she didn’t know she had. ‘We’ve had a reply to our ad.’

  ‘What? Seriously? Just now?’

  ‘Yes, just now,’ she said as they hurried back towards the office.

  ‘Sit,’ she ordered, rescuing the chair from the other side of the room and rolling it back in front of the computer. ‘Email’s on the screen.’

  Jasper did as he was told, his hand caressing the mouse as he scrolled down Harper’s letter.

  ‘Doesn’t she sound wonderful?’ Claire couldn’t stop bouncing up and down. With the adrenalin racing through her body right now she felt like she could touch the shed’s high ceiling.

  ‘Give me a chance to finish reading,’ he said, not sounding at all as excited as she was.

  ‘Sorry.’ She stopped moving, clasped her hands together and read over his shoulder, although by now she could almost recite the stranger’s words by heart.

  Finally Jasper looked up from the screen, his brow creasing as he spoke. ‘Harper Drummond? That name sounds vaguely familiar.’

  Quite frankly, Claire didn’t care if she was Prince Harry’s latest squeeze—she just wanted to send a reply. Right this second. Instantly. But she knew Jasper liked to think important things through.

  ‘Shall we Google her?’ she suggested.

  ‘Good idea.’ He opened another window and typed her name in the search engine. Moments later numerous entries flooded the screen. ‘She even has a Wikipedia entry.’

  Claire reached over and took control of the mouse, clicking on the first link. There was a headshot of her—more professional looking than the one she’d sent them—and a lot more detail than she’d provided in her letter. Her husband was a defence lawyer, her sister an environmental activist and she herself a successful journalist. She’d won numerous awards in her early career and now she had her own radio show.

  ‘Afternoons with Harper,’ Jasper exclaimed, spinning round on the chair to look properly at Claire. ‘That’s why I’ve heard of her. Dad and I listen to that show in the shed sometimes. He was only joking last week that we should try and get on there to talk about ballooning.’

  Claire tried not to show her irritation, but at this moment she didn’t give two hoots about ballooning or the fact that Harper was some kind of radio celebrity. All she cared about was that this woman had eggs to spare and had all but offered them to her and Jasper. ‘So you like her? Shall we reply? Let me sit down. I can type faster than you can.’

  ‘Hang on a moment.’ Jasper held up his hand. ‘This isn’t something we should rush into. She sounds pretty smart.’

  ‘And that’s a bad thing?’

  ‘No. It’s just that she, her sister, her husband, they’re all obviously tertiary educated and we didn’t study any further than high school. What if we have a kid that’s too bright for us?’

  Claire fell into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, then looked into the pale blue eyes she’d fallen in love with almost on sight. ‘Don’t underestimate us. You are one of the most intelligent people I know—no one understands weather patterns better than you—and you can fix things. Lots of things. You read biographies like she does. Just because you don’t have a degree, doesn’t mean you couldn’t get one; you just chose to follow a career path that didn’t need one. And if you think I’m a dummy, well … I resent that.’

  He rolled his eyes and chuckled. ‘I don’t think you’re a dummy.’ Then he turned back to the screen. ‘But the kid would probably have dark hair.’

  ‘And what’s wrong with that?’ she asked, half-laughing at the ridiculousness of his comment. ‘Are you hair-ist or something?’

  ‘No, but we both have lighter hair. It’ll be obvious it’s not our child.’

  ‘I might not remember much from human bio at school,’ she admitted, ‘but I recall something about recessive genes. I’m pretty sure you and I could quite possibly breed a dark haired baby too—that’s if I could actually breed, which I can’t. So this is it. Harper Drummond is our chance to have a family. And I for one don’t think we should let hair colour stop us from following our dream.’

  Jasper let out a deep sigh as if he wasn’t convinced.

  ‘Why are you being so negative?’ she asked, tearing her hands from his neck.

  ‘I’m not. It’s just—’ He looked really, really sad. ‘I’m struggling to get my head around having a baby that isn’t half you.’

  ‘Oh Jasper.’ This time as she lea
nt into him again, she palmed her hand against his stubble-covered cheek. ‘Our baby will grow inside of me, we’ll feel it kick in my tummy and I’ll be the one that screams at you while I’m pushing it out of a ridiculously tiny hole.’

  His lips twisted ever so slightly upwards as she continued.

  ‘I love that you want to make a baby with me and in an ideal world that’s exactly what we’d do, but we can make a family together. And family is more than just blood and genetics. Family is what’s in here.’ She grabbed his hand and brought it up to her chest.

  ‘I know. You’re right,’ he conceded. ‘But what if we do make a family and then down the track the baby wants to follow its biological roots?’

  Claire looked deep into his eyes and smiled. ‘Didn’t you once tell me there were a lot of what ifs in the world? We’ll love and nurture our baby, but we won’t own it any more than any parent owns a child. And if we’re completely open with them from the beginning—if we let them know who their egg donor is and keep in occasional contact—then their beginning won’t be a mystery, and they’ll never need to go searching for the truth.’

  ‘I guess …’ he said, still sounding a tad uncertain.

  ‘If we’re honest and open and love our baby unconditionally, they’ll feel safe and in the right place with us. That’s all any parent can offer.’

  His lips cracked into a smile. ‘You are an amazing woman, you know that?’

  Before she could reply, he grabbed her head in his hands, drew her towards him and planted a kiss on her lips. She smiled even before his mouth left hers.

  ‘So we’re gonna do this?’ she asked.

  ‘Yep.’ He nodded, smiling almost as widely as she was. ‘Wow. Parenthood here we come.’

  And together they clicked reply.

  Chapter Eleven

  After a week of exchanging emails with Claire and Jasper Lombard, Harper felt more than ready to meet them. At least she had done when she’d woken up that morning. But now, as she marched towards the café on Oxford Street, her heels click-clacking along the pavement, her stomach tightened in nervous anticipation.

  What if this was weird and awkward? She went out for Sunday brunch on a fairly regular basis—sometimes with Samuel, sometimes with her sister and occasionally with a friend, but she’d never had brunch alone with total strangers. Arriving at the café, she peered in through the window, trying to see if she could recognise Claire and Jasper from the photos they’d sent. It almost felt like turning up for a blind date. Before she’d met Samuel, friends had occasionally tried to set her up with ‘the perfect man’, but Harper had never been interested in such things. Now she kind of wished she had a little experience.

  ‘Excuse me.’ A woman emerged from the café juggling four takeaway coffee mugs and an enormous jogging style pram.

  ‘Sorry,’ Harper said, stepping aside, and then before she could chicken out, she walked through the open door.

  It was then that she finally saw them—sitting right down the back in the corner, huddled together on the booth-style seat on one side of a table. They glanced up, caught her looking and lifted their hands to wave. Their smiles were wide and real, exactly as they had been in their photos, and the knot in her stomach loosened a little. This couple had way more at stake in this meeting than she did. Hitching her bag on her shoulder, she weaved through the tables to get to them.

  They stood as she approached and stepped around the table to greet her. The man wore smart-casual black shorts and a red-checked shirt, which did little to hide his broad shoulders and muscly arms. The woman looked a little hippyish in a long floral-print skirt, a black tank top and a chunky beaded necklace with matching earrings. Their eyes sparkled as they looked to her.

  ‘Hi! You must be Harper?’ They spoke in unison. Normally that kind of thing would irritate her, but it didn’t with these two.

  She nodded. ‘Claire and Jasper?’

  They nodded back and then all three of them burst into smiles. Any nerves that were still fluttering in Harper’s belly evaporated as Claire threw her arms around her and drew her into a hug.

  ‘It’s so lovely to meet you.’

  Not usually one for public displays of affection—especially with strangers—Harper surprised herself when she didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, hugging Claire felt like coming home; she couldn’t remember ever feeling such an instant affinity with anyone.

  When they pulled back, Jasper offered his hand and his warm, firm shake was equally as comfortable as his gorgeous wife’s hug.

  Harper looked from Jasper back to Claire. ‘Thank you so much for coming all the way down to Sydney to meet me.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly,’ Claire said, ‘if anyone should be thanking anyone, it’s us thanking you for agreeing to meet us at all, for even considering doing this.’

  Harper smiled.

  ‘Was Samuel not able to make it?’ Jasper asked.

  ‘No.’ Harper shook her head—embarrassed, annoyed but also slightly relieved that he’d decided to pull out at the last minute. He still believed what she was doing was crazy, and she’d been surprised when he’d offered to come in the first place. ‘He said he’s really sorry but he’s got a big court case kicking off tomorrow and unfortunately couldn’t take the time out from preparing.’

  ‘That’s okay. We understand. Another time.’ Claire gestured to the table. ‘Shall we sit?’

  ‘Yes, good idea.’ Harper dropped her bag to the floor and sat.

  As he and Claire slipped back into the booth seat, Jasper glanced towards the queue at the counter. ‘Should we order before we get too deep into conversation?’

  Despite the alluring aroma of fresh coffee and the clatter of cutlery scraping plates all around them, Harper had almost forgotten they’d come here to eat as well as talk. Judging by the surprised look on Claire’s face she had too, but tall and strapping Jasper looked like a guy who needed his food, so Harper picked up the menu on the table and took a look. She decided on poached eggs and smashed avocado on sourdough and waited until it looked like the others had made their selections, before grabbing her purse from her bag and pushing back her seat.

  ‘What can I get for you guys?’ she asked.

  Claire also stood. ‘Oh no you don’t. Jasper and I are shouting you.’

  They argued in a friendly manner for a few moments and then finally agreed to go Dutch.

  Jasper chuckled. ‘This is a little too much like a first date.’ The women laughed along with him.

  Once the orders were placed, they returned to their table.

  ‘So, did you drive down from the Hunter Valley this morning?’ Harper asked, not sure how they were meant to start this conversation. This was really just protocol—unless they’d turned out to be fruitcakes in person, she’d already decided that Claire and Jasper were the people she wanted to help.

  Claire shook her head. ‘No, we came down yesterday afternoon and spent the night with Jasper’s cousin. He’s married to my best friend, and they have five children.’

  ‘Five?’ Harper hoped they didn’t notice her shudder.

  Jasper laughed. ‘Some people just don’t know when to stop.’

  ‘Either that or they haven’t discovered contraception,’ Claire said and Harper wondered if there was a hint of bitterness in her voice.

  ‘I imagine it must be difficult being around others, especially friends, who can so easily have children.’

  Claire looked to Jasper and reached out to take his hand. ‘We try to remain grateful for what we do have,’ she began, ‘but I must admit, it’s been getting more and more difficult the last year or so. It’s hard to see everyone around us—or at least it sometimes feels that way—getting pregnant so easily, when I know that for us to have a baby it will be a lot more complicated. I’ve actually had murderous thoughts about people who declare they accidentally conceived.’

  Harper cringed inwardly, hoping her guilt didn’t show on her face.

  ‘It got to the point wh
ere I decided it was time to do something about it, or risk becoming the kind of person I don’t like. That’s when I told Jasper I wanted to look into egg donation.’

  Interesting. It sounded very much like this had been Claire’s decision. Was Jasper perhaps not quite so keen to do this?

  ‘What about you?’ Harper asked, looking to him. ‘Did you have the same deep yearning to have a baby?’

  ‘I come from a big family,’ Jasper began, leaning forward slightly. ‘I’ve got three sisters and they all have kids of their own now. My parents have been happily married for almost forty years, and growing up I always assumed that would be me one day. Until I met Claire, I’d not really considered the possibility that maybe I wouldn’t be able to have kids. Infertility was an alien concept until Claire hit me hard with it even before we’d had our first real date.’

  When Harper raised an eyebrow, the couple looked at each other and smiled.

  ‘Until I met Jasper, I’d resigned myself to a single life with no kids, so I rarely even went on dates. But with Jasper, I wanted the date he offered. I wanted a lot more, but I didn’t want to hurt either of us. I tried to protect us both—tried to make him think I wasn’t interested—but then my best friend got engaged to his cousin and suddenly avoiding him was near-on impossible. He confronted me, asked me outright why I’d ghosted him and that’s when I told him I was infertile.’

  Harper had read all about Claire’s childhood cancer in her emails—she’d described in detail how the chemotherapy she’d had for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia pre-puberty had caused ovarian failure—but hearing this lovely young woman announce her infertility made her feel more emotional than she knew herself capable of. Claire looked so healthy, it seemed inconceivable that she’d ever been so sick, and even more unlikely that she was barren.

  ‘And how did you feel about that?’ she asked, looking to Jasper.

  ‘I was shocked. Having kids isn’t usually something you speak about so early in a relationship—at least in my experience—but although I knew I wanted a family, I couldn’t walk away from Claire.’ He looked to her then and his eyes swam with adoration as he smiled, sniffed and then continued. ‘She’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me and since that day she’s always been enough. Saying that, there’s nothing in the world I’d like more than to have a family with her, as long as there’s no physical risk to Claire in the process.’