Last Chance

I was willing to do anything in my power to preserve a part of him. The idea of intentional single motherhood seemed worth it just to know a piece of him would live on.

My request was met with a blank stare.

“I’ll look into that for you,” the day nurse said before leaving me alone amidst the metronomic beeps. Steve lay dying while I sat in limbo—awaiting a response on whether or not a sperm extraction was possible.

Naturally I’d always thought Steve would be the father of my children, but now that our future had been cut short, my only hope lay in the hands of hospital bureaucracy. The plea created a tension that was exacerbated by the waiting period—was it physically possible, was it ethical, was it legal? And most importantly, could we find someone accredited to perform the procedure before the final tone?