Emily squeezed my hand so tightly that it hurt.
The doctor smiled gently.
“First, I want you to breathe. Neither of your babies has the genetic condition we were investigating.”
I burst into tears.
Emily covered her face and began sobbing with relief.
“But,” the doctor continued, “both babies have inherited the same variant from their biological father. Our testing shows that neither has inherited a second disease-causing variant in that gene.”
I looked at Daniel.
“Why didn’t you tell us about your nephew?”
He lowered his head.
“Because I was ashamed. My family spent years hiding his condition. I thought that if I told the clinic about my family history, nobody would ever choose me as a donor.”
The doctor looked at him seriously.
“That was a mistake. Genetic information isn’t something you can hide when other people’s children may be affected.”
Daniel nodded.
“I know. And I’ll never forgive myself for putting you through this.”
