Before Elysia could even touch Winona''s wrist, her phone, lying on the table, rang.


    It was Winona''s agent. Winona hadn''t replied to her texts, and her agent was calling, desperate to know what was going on between her and Keaton.


    Winona sighed. "Elysia, hold on a sec, I have to take this."


    "..." Just as Winona hung up, Tarquin called Elysia to let her know that Janelle and Richard had arrived with lunch.


    Forgetting all about the pulse check, the two friends headed back to the hospital room together.


    On the way, Elysia mused, "You know, in this whole Beatrix pregnancy mess, Richard and Janelle are the real victims. No matter if the baby is Keaton''s or not, they''re not going to be happy."


    Because of Keaton''s yboy reputation, a daughter-inw was a luxury they never expected, let alone a grandchild. If the baby was Keaton''s, the Huber family would have an heir, but their son''s happiness would be gone. If the baby wasn''t Keaton''s, their son would be free, but they would lose their first grandchild. No matter the oue, they would face disappointment and regret.


    Just thinking about it reminded Winona of her promise: *I will definitely make sure they get to hold their grandbaby!* But if Beatrix''s baby really was Keaton''s, she would have to do everything in her power to make sure Beatrix carried it to term. The real problem was, what if the baby wasn''t his? Where was she supposed to find a grandchild for Janelle and Richard? She wasn''t even willing to entertain the idea of love again, let alone having a baby herself.


    *Ugh... impulse is the devil. How could I say something like that?*


    "Elysia... from a medical standpoint, do you absolutely need two people to have a baby?"


    Elysia didn''t understand. "What are you trying to ask?"


    Winona didn''t know how to phrase it, her expression twisting. "It''s... like, if you don''t want to be pregnant, but you still want a child of your own, what can you do? For example, let''s say Keaton doesn''t want to have kids, but he wants to fulfill Janelle and Richard''s wish. What are his options?"


    Elysia replied, "He''s a man, he doesn''t have to carry the baby. If the child in Beatrix''s womb is really his, couldn''t he just bite the bullet and marry her?"


    "What if this happened to a woman?" Winona pressed.


    "Then there''s no easy answer," Elysia said. "Surrogacy is an option in some ces, but it''s illegal elsewhere and ethicallyplicated."


    "Surrogacy..." Winona murmured.


    Elysia turned to look at her. "Is a friend of yours dealing with this?"


    Before Winona could exin it was for herself, Elysia continued, "I would strongly advise against surrogacy Besides the legal and ethical issues, it truly risks turning women into reproductive tools. More importantly... a child is a symbol and continuation of love. If you''re not ever willing to carry the child yourself why have one at all? for mother, the nine months of pregnancy, as difficult as they can be, are also an experience of love. That journey makes the first


    meeting between mother and childplete."


    Winona nodded seriously. "You''re right!"


    *Please let the baby in Beatrix''s belly be Keaton''s! That way, she wouldn''t have to worry. She would just have to figure out how to make Beatrix cooperate and have the baby. As for Keaton, well, he could just suck it up. Her life motto was simple ife is short, better to inconvenience others than to inconvenience yourself.


    As she was thinking, Winona added, "By the way, to calm Janelle and Richard down, I told them Keaton and I have been secretly dating. When you see them, don''t blow my cover."