Sordid Conception

Part One

Sharon Larrington sat quietly at the table in the breakfast nook, stirring her tea and thinking about her daughter-in-law's problem. Brenda had come by four months ago to "just visit" but soon after arriving she had broached the subject that had really brought her over. . .

"I could use some advise. . . some medical advise," Brenda had said as she'd watched her cleaning out her bedroom closet.

"What is it, dear?" Sharon had asked, looking at her as she folded an old sweater. Sharon was a registered nurse at the small hospital in Little Falls; being asked medical stuff by her family wasn't out of the ordinary.

"Chris and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost a year......." Brenda began, ".....and nothing's happened."

Sharon's natural reaction was to tell Brenda to not rush into child-rearing, partly because of her own experiences of having two children before she was barely 20. Brenda was 22, almost 23. Sharon and her husband had made it with the help of their parents. Chris and Brenda could do the same, if necessary.

"Well, at least you're having fun trying, right?" Sharon teased her daughter-in-law.

Brenda smiled at that. Sharon would bet that Chris was happy to deliver the goods to Brenda every night. They were both so touchie-feelie with each other, even when they were visiting her.

And Brenda was a pretty girl -- a very pretty girl with long black hair, a roundish face with green eyes and a full pair of lips. She had a nice hourglass figure with a large pair of breasts and flaring hips - breeding hips as they were called.

The only thing that detracted from her looks was a somewhat jumbled set of teeth; when Brenda smiled it was noticeable. Her other son, Brad, called her Vampyra or Snaggletooth behind her back but Sharon had noticed that Brad looked at her that certain way that young 19 year old boys do.

Sharon could just imagine her oldest son's enthusiasm when Brenda shucked off her baggy jeans and T-shirt, exposing her milky white skinned Venus-like body. Oh, to be that young again!

"Have you seen your doctor? To check if everything is in working order," Sharon had asked as she turned back into the closet.

"Well, that's why I really brought this whole matter up," Brenda had said, sounding worried. "I saw Dr. Evans a few weeks ago and he did some tests. He says everything is fine....with me."

Sharon had caught the way she had ended her sentence. Was there something wrong with Chris then?

"Has Chris had his sperm count tested?" Sharon said, turning back, folding an ugly blouse that she hadn't worn in years. Sharon could see that Brenda was under some stress at this point in the conversation.

"Sharon, I'm gonna tell you this but you can't tell Chris. Promise?"

"Sure, honey, go ahead." Sharon had a weakness for gossip or secrets...God knows she had a few herself.

"I took a sample to be tested last week but Chris doesn't know I took it."

"Why the secrecy?"

"Chris is just weird that way. He says if it's gonna happen, it will happen. He just didn't want to have himself tested."

Sharon could see Chris saying that - he was such a weird egg sometimes.

"So you, um, collected some of his sperm without him knowing?"

"Yeah," Brenda had admitted. "I got the results back yesterday. Chris has a very low count."

"But not low enough that you couldn't get pregnant?" Sharon asked, hoping Brenda wasn't going to tell her that she wouldn't be having any grandchildren from their marriage.

"It's possible that we could have a baby.....but the odds aren't very good. Dr. Evans says it could be as low as 1 in 100," Brenda had said sadly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, Brenda. It's going to be okay," Sharon had said in real encouragement. But she knew it may not be. Conceiving was hard enough without the odds they were facing.

"Sharon, I want to have children. If Chris can't make that happen....." Brenda had looked down and trailed off her sentence.

"Are you saying that you'd leave Chris?" Sharon asked.

"I love Chris, I really do. I'm not going to leave him. But I'll be unhappy and that's no good."

"There's always artificial methods," Sharon had offered.

"I thought about that. I don't know if that's something we want to get into. I'm sure it's very expensive and we're not setting the world on fire financially. Plus, like I said, Chris would have to be told. And, to tell you the truth, I want it to happen naturally. I want to remember the moment it happens....not on some operating table with a bunch of strangers around."

"Did Dr. Evans explain different positions that can help improve your chances?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to start using those. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, dear." Sharon had put on her best face to give Brenda hope.

Sharon snapped back into the present and finished drinking her coffee.

She had made her mind up to suggest her plan to Brenda when she came over later in the morning. It was an unusual solution to the problem but it made sense in a way. Everyone would be happy if all were willing and that was the important thing.

* * * * * * *

Brenda got to her house around noon and Sharon made them some salads. They sat out on the back deck and ate, watching hummingbirds feed at a flowers nearby.

"Brenda, I've been thinking about your situation. About having a baby. I'd like to suggest a solution."

Brenda looked at her hopefully.

"Now as I see it, this baby business is putting a strain on your marriage. We need to get you pregnant."

"Believe me, we've tried everything," Brenda said, putting her fork down and leaning back in her chair. "All those positions that were suggested, plotting my cycle......it's discouraging. But what kind of solution did you have in mind?"

"What I'm going to suggest, you'll have to keep an open mind about it...don't dismiss it out of hand."

"All right, Sharon. Tell me. The suspense is killing me." Brenda made her voice sound overly dramatic to lighten the discussion.

"These are the important points to remember: One, you want to get pregnant. Two, you want it to occur naturally, which I can understand, believe me. I can still remember both occasions when I conceived Chris and Brad. Now, we got to face facts about Chris. He's had his chance but he's failed."

"God, Sharon...you don't pull any punches," Brenda said, laughing lightly.

"We've got to be pragmatic about this thing," Sharon said seriously. "The big question is this: Could you love a child that is not Chris's?"

"Are you talking about adopting?" Brenda said confused. They had not talked about adoption in the past but Sharon knew that wasn't an acceptable solution. Brenda just wasn't seeing where she was leading her.

"No, remember you want this to be your child. You want it to happen naturally."

"Sharon, you're confusing me. Just tell me what it is."

"If Chris can't do the job, would you consider having someone else be the actual father?"

Sharon saw Brenda get what she was driving at. Her mouth fell a little open.

"You're suggesting that I have sex with someone else to get pregnant?"

"Yes, dear, I am...but not just anyone. I've got someone in mind. But first let me know if the idea is so repugnant that you wouldn't consider it."

Brenda sat there for a moment, looking off into space as she thought about what Sharon had suggested.

"Sharon, it is a little surprising to hear you suggest something like this," Brenda began, "My mother would never have been able to talk with me this way. I know you're only suggesting this because you want me and Chris to be happy. I've got to admit that the thought had crossed my mind. About sleeping with someone else."

Sharon knew they were way over the hump with her admission.

"I suppose I could live with the secret. I know Chris and I would love the kid to death," Brenda finished.

"Oh, I know you guys would. That's the only reason I would suggest such a thing. And there's a way we can do it to make it easier for you to live with. I wouldn't want you to consider it cheating on Chris. Chris has your heart, I know that."

"So, who did you have in mind?" Brenda asked in a voice that said she was considering Sharon's suggestion.

"I was thinking of Brad," Sharon said.

"Brad?!" Brenda said with real shock in her voice.

"Wait, let me tell you my reasoning," Sharon said, patting Brenda's arm. "I know it's a wild proposal, having your husband's brother be the father, but here's why I think it makes sense. First of all, Brad and Chris carry very similar genetic make-ups so the child will actually have a little bit of Chris as its make-up. Secondly, because Brad is family already, he's less likely to try to cause problems later on. In a small town like the Falls, word is bound to get around if you slept with one of the other men in this town. They go down to those bars and drink and tell tales. With Brad, you're not going to have some guy suddenly crop up and claim his rights, like visitation. Which leads into my third point, you'll be able to see the real father interact with the child on a regular basis."

"Wow, Sharon...you've really thought this thing out. How do you know Brad would even be willing to do this? Having a kid is a big responsibility and Brad's not the model of responsibility."

Sharon had to agree with that. Brad was 19 and, like most teenagers, he believed in enjoying himself above all else. Someone looking at him would have doubts about the kind of person he was. He wore his brown hair longer than Sharon liked and hung out with a bunch of similarly minded teenagers. He'd admitted to smoking marijuana but only in party situations. And he was a bit crude in the language department. But Sharon overlooked these things because she knew he was a good person at heart and he had been such a help to her after his father had past away.

"Brad's not going to have to be up changing diapers at 3 A.M., you will be. And Chris. Brad's life won't change that much," Sharon said.

"Have you talked with Brad about this?" Brenda asked.

"Heavens no! I didn't want to give Brad any ideas like this. First, you agree to it and then I'll bring it up to Brad. But I wouldn't tell him that you were already willing. I'd just make it seem like I was approaching him first with the idea," Sharon sipped her ice tea and watched Brenda think about what she was suggesting.

"Sharon, everything you've said makes sense," Brenda finally said with a smile. "Just having someone else know the secret will help me because I could always talk to you.... I guess, as crazy as it seems, I'd be willing to do it. With Brad."

"Brenda, I think that's great. Chris is so lucky to have a wife like you."

"Well, I don't know if what we're going to do is 'great' but it does make sense."

They finished eating and walked their dishes back inside the kitchen. Then Brenda raised a point that Sharon had thought about but not brought up yet.

"Sharon, how do I know Brad isn't like Chris?"

"I did think about that. Obviously, we'll have to get Brad tested too. I know some people over at the clinic in Chapel's Gate. You could go over there and get the tests done with no problem. I wouldn't want you going through Dr. Evans again. He might get suspicious if Brad is healthy and than talk to Chris and that's a whole can of worms we shouldn't even open."

Sharon was washing off the dishes in the sink as she said this and saw Brad pushing his motorcycle across the back yard.

"Here comes Brad now," she said to Brenda. Brenda walked to the door to the deck and watched Sharon's younger, shirtless son push his broken or out-of-gas off-road motorcycle to the steps at the bottom of the deck. Then he picked the motorcycle up with a great heave and walked it up to the deck where he locked it up at night.

Sharon, with a sideways glance, saw Brenda taking note of the muscles that Brad was unknowingly displaying to his brother's wife. It could be that Brenda might have agreed to her plan for more reasons than just propagation.

Brad did have a nice body by all standards. It wasn't that he was really muscular; Sharon thought he resembled swimmers like she had watched in the Olympics. He had a definite V-shape to his upper body from riding his bike or doing pull-ups, whatever he was always up to.

As Brad bent down to chain his bike to the railing, Brenda turned from the door and walked away to lean on the counter.

"Just act like yourself," Sharon said and they shared a smile as Brad came through the door.

Fucking bike, Brad thought, standing up after locking it to the deck railing. Something was always breaking on the damn thing.Ought to let someone steal it and get Mom to buy me a new one.

He had no doubts that his mother would if he asked her. Since his father had past away and Chris had moved out of the house, she'd been pouring all her affection on him, that was for sure.

Giving his bike a kick, he walked inside.

And came up short when he saw Brenda standing in the kitchen with his mother. Brenda would look good wearing a burlap sack and she looked fantastic in a pair of short shorts and a tank top that did little to hide those big round knockers. Man, his brother was one lucky SOB.

"Hey girls," he said closing the door and sweeping his hand back through his longish hair.

"Brad, you're a mess. You got grass in your hair," his mother said.

"Yeah, I took a frigging header out in McAnnally's field. Had to push the damn bike all the way back."

"You're going to break your neck one day," Brenda chimed in as she pulled her hair back and hooked it behind her ear.

"It's a distinct possibility," Brad said with a forced laugh. Brenda was no comedian but with a body like hers, who the hell cared. "When I'm doing a Chris Reeves you can come over and tell me 'I told you so!'"

Brad stepped close to his sister-in-law and grabbed the back of her neck and started playfully shaking her. She twisted out of his grasp but not before he got a good view down her top.

"Cut it out, Brad," she said, swinging her long hair around with a twist of her head.

"Brad, go take a shower. You're filthy and I'm sure you smell as well," his mother said, snapping a dish towel at his legs.

"O.K., O.K....I can tell when I'm not wanted." He opened the door to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. His mother let him drink around the house. "Shower beer," he said reverently to the can of Olympia.

"Those don't buy themselves," his mother said as he moved toward the stairs.

"I'll buy some more later. Promise."

He went upstairs with Brenda's deep cleavage running through his mind.

"You want me to have one of those," Brenda kidded Sharon after Brad was gone.

"Brad's a good kid. You could do a lot worse," Sharon said and meant it. "But the only thing he's going to give you is one little sperm. It's up to you and Chris to make it into what you want from there on. So, should I ask him tonight or do you want to think about it? There's no hurry."

"Not that I'm backtracking but how exactly do you envision the actual act happening, if everything goes forward without a hitch," Brenda asked.

"Well, it's not like you have to make love with Brad. You could wear a long T-shirt so you wouldn't be naked. And Brad could just do his business. To tell you the truth, I'm sure Brad would probably be quick about it, if you know what I mean."

"Sharon!" Brenda said, smiling from ear to ear in amazement.

"Well, you know, I think Brad would find the whole thing very stimulating. Being with you, his brother's wife. I think he's got a crush on you if the truth be known."

"I sort of thought he did," Brenda said shuffling her feet, the smile still on her face. "Just as long as he understands that this is just going to be a one time occurrence....." Brenda trailed off.

"Well, honey, it might take only once. We'd want to do it on the day that you're most fertile, so we'll arrange it that way. It may make sense to do it more than once. Maybe two days in a row to make sure it takes. But it may not even happen that first time. We might have to do it again on another cycle. You're going to have to commit to doing it until it happens -- otherwise you'll have nothing to show for it."

"Oh yeah, I understand that. I don't know what else to say but thanks again, Sharon. I feel like such a weight has been lifted off of me. There's this light at the end of the tunnel now." Brenda gave her a hug and said she'd call in the morning to hear what Brad thought of the whole idea.

"Alright, now go home and be with your husband," Sharon said as she walked her daughter-in-law to the front door. "Who knows, maybe tonight you guys will take care of the whole thing by yourselves."

She watched Brenda drive off and then closed the door. Leaning against it, she thought about how she was going to tell Brad about what she and Brenda had cooked up.

Part Two

Later that night, she was cleaning the dishes from dinner when Brad came in from the living room.

"Need any help?" he asked, leaning against the counter by the sink.

"Brad, you can see that I'm almost done," she said. "Why do you always do that?"

"Because I'm an asshole?" Brad said as if he were guessing at a school question.

"You're not an asshole," Sharon chuckled and flicked soap bubbles on him. "It's Saturday night. Where are you off to tonight?"

"Oh, I thought I'd stay in tonight," Brad said simply.

Sharon smiled at his statement. She always enjoyed it when Brad didn't go out and spent some time with her. Her husband had been killed in an auto accident three years ago and Chris had moved out with Brenda almost right after that. Thank goodness for Brad.

"Good," she said, drying her hands with a dish towel. "There's something I need to talk with you about later."

* * * * * *

Sharon got ready for bed around 9:30 that night, earlier than usual. Standing in front of her bathroom mirror, she unhooked the front snap on her bra as she studied her face.

At 39, she thought she might have hit her prime. Being widowed had caused her to take stock and get herself looking her best; she wasn't the type that liked to be without male companionship. Her sex drive had always been strong. Getting pregnant with Chris at the young age of 16 had been a byproduct of that.

She'd changed her hairstyle to a short, sassy cut to accentuate her long neck and added some blonde highlights to contrast with her natural brown. She had a narrow chin, a thin-lipped mouth, and a narrow, slightly upturned, nose. Her eyes had always bothered her - they had always looked to her like they bulged too far out of their sockets and had made her look older than she had been. But now nearing 40, the age of her green eyes appeared to now match the rest of her.

She shrugged off her bra and placed it on the counter in front of her. Her breasts were cute, cupcake-sized mounds that had sagged just a little over the years but they look good just above the outline of her ribcage. She had always been thin, with the body of a dancer but none of the grace. She ran her hand down her front, still not happy with the little belly she had been trying to shake for years and years. At least her legs and butt were still in good shape - no cellulite showing anywhere.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said to her reflection and pushed her panties down off her hips, working them down past mid-thigh until they fell around her ankles on their own. "No one's complaining about the equipment."

She brushed her teeth and brushed out her hair briefly, posed sideways in the mirror to check out her backside and then satisfied, she turned off the light and walked into her bedroom.

Her breath caught in her throat for a fraction of a second, as it always did, when she saw her young strapping son waiting for her in her bed. Brad was laying there, so at ease with his body and his nudity and with what they were going to do again.