My sister and brother-in-law weren’t at the hospital when I had my baby. Time went by, and they still hadn’t shown up. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl—my niece—and just then, they finally arrived. Rachel looked at the baby, then back at me, her eyes wide with shock. “THIS ISN’T THE BABY WE EXPECTED! WE DON’T WANT IT!” she shouted. I was completely taken aback. “What?! What do you mean?!”
Rachel had a really tough time trying to have a baby. She and her husband spent a lot of money on treatments, but sadly, they faced many heartbreaking miscarriages that crushed her spirit again and again. It felt like her whole world was falling apart as she realized she couldn’t try anymore. That’s when I decided to help them by being their surrogate.
It wasn’t an easy choice, but by the time they asked me to carry their baby, Rachel had lost her cheerful spirit. She started to pull away from everyone, especially those with kids. She even missed some of my sons’ birthdays, and it was hard to watch her suffer inside.
As I looked at my boys through the kitchen window, I saw how much love Rachel had for them. I just knew she would be an amazing mom if she ever got the chance.
My heart felt heavy for Rachel and her husband, who walked into the kitchen just then. He gently put his hand on Rachel’s shoulder and looked at me, saying, “The doctors say Rachel can’t go through any more treatments. They suggested surrogacy…” Then he asked, “Abby, would you think about being a surrogate for her?”
Rachel moved closer and held my hands tightly. “Abby, you’re my only hope of becoming a mom. Please take your time to think about the amazing gift you could give me.”
Later that night, my husband and I talked about the idea of me being a surrogate for my sister. With four boys already, I had a lot to handle. Another pregnancy might be really tough on my body and feelings, but seeing my sister in pain was just too much to bear.
I asked my husband to trust me and support me in my decision to be my sister’s surrogate.
Rachel and Jason’s baby started to grow in my belly pretty quickly. They were super excited and kept making all sorts of plans for their future as parents.
The pregnancy was smooth, and everything seemed fine. But when the day came for me to have their baby girl, they were missing. My husband, Luke, and I tried to call them, but we couldn’t get a hold of them at all.
Hours passed by and Rachel and Jason finally appeared at the hospital. But their demeanor said something wasn’t right.
Instead of taking the girl, Rachel looked at me and said, “This isn’t the baby we expected. We don’t want it.”
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, still unable to process her words.
“It’s a girl. And Jason… Jason wanted a son.”
My husband jumped in and started shouting at Rachel and her husband. “Have you two completely lost it?”
Jason quickly walked out of the room, leaving Rachel to handle everything. “He’s told me I have to have a son, or he’s out of here… I can’t deal with this girl; Jason doesn’t want her.”
“But you never mentioned anything about wanting a boy,” I said, still in disbelief.
“That’s because you’ve had four boys already, so we figured it would be the same this time,” Rachel replied.
I then told her to leave the room. As she walked away, she looked back and said, “Maybe you could take her to an orphanage or give her to someone who wants a daughter.”
I felt lightheaded. How could someone who wanted to be a mom so much talk about her daughter like she was just an object?
Luke and I made the choice to take care of Kelly ourselves. There was no way I would ever let her be adopted. She was my family, my precious little niece.
The idea of being a surrogate seemed so rational at the beginning, but now it ruined my relationship with my sister.
A few weeks later, I heard a knock at the door. “I wonder who it is on such a rainy day?” I thought as I opened it.
It was Rachel, and she seemed different somehow.
Before I could even ask her what was going on, she burst into tears and apologized. She said she couldn’t leave her daughter, even if it meant breaking up with Jason.
I could tell she really meant it, so I welcomed her inside and let her hold Kelly for the first time.
Watching my sister with her baby, it felt like everything was finally coming together. Being a single mom would be tough, but my husband, my boys, and I would be there to support her whenever she needed us.
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