M: (catching up to Harriet) "I don't understand her!" 

H: "You shouldn't be so hard on her."

M: "She wanted my sperm but she doesn't want my child support."

H: "If I recall correctly, you advertised quite actively."

M: "Yeah, but it was only after she broached the idea."

H: (chuckling) "She may not even implant the embryos."

M: "But what if she does? She doesn't want my child support."

H: "You agreed to donate the sperm, not become a father."

M: (to Harriet; then to an errant driver who nearly hits Harriet; then to Harriet) "That's the point. I've begun...Hey! Sidewalks are for pedestrians!...You all right?"

Driver: "Go stuff it!" 

H: (a little shaky) "Yes." 

M: "Take a hike!" 

H: "Now, Matt. Calm down." (they walk on)

M: "Hmmmpf."

H: "Are you having second thoughts about donating the sperm?"

M: (pauses a moment before answering gravely, then nods) "I have."

H: "Oh? Why?"

M: "It's just, well. Every day I come into work and I think about them."

H: "Them?"

M: "The embryos."

H: "You refer to them as them?"

M: (chuckles) "So do you."

H: "I suppose I did. So, what made you change your mind about sperm donation?"

M: "Every day that passes gives me more time to think about what I want."

H: "I don't think we're connecting. Do you want to terminate the embryos?"

M: (looking shocked) "No! It's just, well, I think want to be a father."

H: "And Jules does't want that?" 

M: "I don't think so."

H: "If Jules had implanted the embryos immediately, you might not be thinking about being a father."

M: "Something like that. When she first asked me, it was just fluid. Now there are several clusters of cells in a deep-freeze and one day, one of those clusters might become my child."

H: "And you'd like to support the child?"

M: "Well, yes. The baby would be my child. I want to do the right thing."

H: "And Jules' refusing child support upsets you?"

M: "Yes. I don't think I'd mind the idea of donating the child support to charity if both parties are well-off financially. But Jules, well, she just flat out refused my child support. And I didn't do anything to her."

H: "And you're feeling used?"

M: "I feel like I'm a donor on approval. I did actively pursue her proposal but now that there are embryos and more time has passed, and it's like, well, now I want something more. Not marriage, but more involvement."

H: "You two didn't think things through."

M: (looking shocked) "You're supposed to help guide us!"

H: "Me?"

M: "You're the one who knows more about IVF than either Jules or myself!" 

H: (chuckling) "I supposed I should have counseled Jules to get a legal agreement."

M: (a bit haughtily) "You should have told the two of us that I might want more involvement with the passage of time before implantation."

H: "That is a consideration."

M: "Consideration? It's like she's using me as a resevoir, like I won't develop feelings or worse, that I don't have feelings."

H: "Had you donated sperm anonymously and the woman chose your profile, what would you do?"

M: "Well, I've never donated."

H: "With Jules you have."

M: "But I knew her."

H: "Exactly. Had you gone to a sperm bank, you'd be giving sperm to an unknown woman. With no future obligations."

M: (understanding dawning on his face) "But Jules and myself didn't get a legal agreement, and there's potential obligations on my part."

H: "With the possibility of paying child support for a child that will be known to you, you're developing more than a passing interest in any potential offspring."

M: (hesitates, looks down, then nods) "I think you might be right. It would be difficult to not know about the child...we work in the same office." (they reach the office and Matt is nearly bowled over by a patient of Jules)