Evergreen

They wed, then expect the best. Events deny them: empty nest. Weekend sex, speedy sex, needy sex. Nevertheless.

Peers breed, render them defenceless. They detest the secrecy, the extreme pretence. He's dejected, she feels depressed. Even the esteemed experts seem helpless. They're sternly refereed, shepherded between cheerless beds, endless tests, decency repressed. They wrestle the enemy, seek the mystery remedy, vexedly beseech the NHS.

She's vehement, he relents. They reverently meet the expense: stem needless excesses, redeem elderly investments, freely enter debt. Wheels screech. Grey steel, green sleeves, B&W screen. Twelve, eleven, ten...she sleeps deeply. Legs bent, stretched, wedged. Clever men leer. Lenses checked, teeth clenched, needles deftly steered. Eggs meet sperm, sperm meet eggs. Cells seed, seethe; genes express, enmesh. Seven spheres selected, the rest preserved. She's restless; he feels stressed. Evens? Twenty percent? Very reckless!

Three breezy September weeks creep by. Then excellent news: presence detected. Never better! He's speechless; she feels blessed. Her chest swells, smell perverts. He respects her gentle strength. She revels; her gem, her jewel. Feet perched, nestled serenely; greedy, self-centered, well-deserved rest.

December descends, freezes the fens; every tree, beck, fence. Kelsey Crescent, Eden Street, Cherry Mews, Temple End. She sneezes, feels feeble, fevery. Then she bleeds, festers, belly tense. Emergency! They beg clemency. Nerves shred, red seeps, sheets drench. She retches, keels, weeps; perfectly wretched, been rejected. He trembles, reels, swept senseless, bereft.

Sheer hell. Never ends well.

They teeter. Then swerve, tether themselves; he, she, we. Resentment tempers, regret ebbs. They emerge dry-eyed, neck held erect, renewed, refreshed. They remember, reflect; then they're settled. They pledge the next step.