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“I feel as if I’m at a point where I need to choose between my marriage and having a baby,” she says.
We study each other for a moment. She looks surprised at having finally said what’s obviously been on her mind, and maybe even a little bit relieved.
“Perhaps what you need right now is a break,” I say slowly. “Maybe a holiday. It seems perfectly natural to me that it’s put an incredible strain on your relationship. What you need is to rediscover why you’re together. Concentrate on yourselves. Give yourselves the opportunity to fall back in love again.”
She nods and brightens. “I think you’re right.”
“You don’t need to make any big, final decisions right now. It’s not all or nothing. There are still options available to you. Maybe pre-implantation genetic testing is what you need, to increase the chances of having a healthy embryo before it’s even implanted.”
“Maybe. How is the research going on that, by the way?”
“It’s good. Actually, I have something to tell you. I didn’t want to say before because I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but we’ve been working on something that might end up being useful to you.”
“Oh?”
“You know Titus Oates?” His real name is Lawrence, but everyone calls him Titus because it was the nickname of the Antarctic explorer of the same name who died on Scott’s expedition to the South Pole when he walked from his tent into a blizzard.
“Yeah, I met him at a party here once. Big guy, dark hair, gorgeous, and brooding?”
“That sums him up.”
“Isn’t his father from Norway or something? I seem to remember some impressive tats on his arms.”
“Yeah. I call him the Striking Viking. Anyway, his company, NZAI, has been working with MediTech on some new research involving using Artificial Intelligence with IVF.”
“In what way?”
“We’re exploring its use in identifying early markers of quality in gametes and embryos. We know that things like follicle size in the female gametes and morphology and motility in sperm directly correlate with IVF success, but selection depends on the operator making the right decisions. AI removes subjectivity and objectively ranks gametes based on quality.” I know I’m slipping into science speak, so I stop there. “It’s complicated, but there are really good signs it could predict blastocyst formation and even live birth prior to fertilization.”
“It sounds amazing. But I’m guessing that’s years away.”
“Not at all. We’re well into the development and we’ll hopefully be running trials soon. The best news is that a big English medical research company wants to invest in the final stages of the project.”
She smiles. “That’s great news.” She knows how hard I’ve worked over the past few years, and how hard it is to come by funding.
“There is one drawback,” I say softly.
“Oh?”
“They want someone from here to go over there to head the project. It’s a condition of their investment.”
She stares at me. “Go over where?”
“England.”
“You’re thinking of moving there?”
I tip my head from side to side. “Not permanently. They want a two-year commitment.”
“But it doesn’t have to be you.”
“I’m the head of the company. They’re asking for me.”
“What about Titus?”
“We’ve talked about him going, but to be honest, I’m quite excited about the challenge. It’d be an opportunity to make a huge advancement in fertility treatment, Pen. It would change so many lives.”Including yours. I don’t say it, but she’ll know that’s what I’m thinking.
Her brows draw together. “Well, obviously, I can’t say I wouldn’t miss you, but I know how much you love your work. We can always keep in touch on FaceTime I suppose.”
