JUNIOR
Chapter 1
"Just for three months"
Doctor Terrence Grandchester was working in a laboratory of the Andrew company with his best friend, Alistair Cornwell. They were both gynaecologist and they were doing some research on how to prevent miscarriages to pregnant women. Terrence came from England. He had met Alistair at a medical conference in Berlin and Alistair had offered him to come and work with him in the family company. Terrence, who was British, had said yes, so he had moved to Chicago to work with his friend.
Only in the absence of the great uncle William, Mr. Legan was the one in charge, aunt Sarah's husband, and he had reduced the funds for research.
Terrence and Alistair went to do a presentation on their drug in front of the FDA. Terrence talked about their drug Expectane, they had tried on chimpanzees, which were able to carry their pregnancy to term after having lots of miscarriages. Terry was so serious, Alistair was trying to make him laugh in vain. They were waiting for the decision.
- Let us test the drug on pregnant women, I can assure you that it's going to work, said Alistair…
- No, Mr. Cornwell, we've heard enough. We're going to let you know what decision we took, said the lady in charge.
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But a week later, the answer was negative and Terrence could no longer stay in America, he had to leave the country. So he went to the lab and he locked the doors, so he could pack his things in peace.
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Alistair was in his office with a patient.
- Patricia…
- Alistair…
- What do you want?
- Alistair… I came to see you…
- We're divorced…
- And I'm pregnant…
Alistair thought he heard her wrong.
- I beg your pardon?
- I'm pregnant…
- How?
- How? And you're a gynaecologist? You don't know how women get pregnant?
- Stop being the smart one, Patricia! Who's the father?
- Well…
- At Archibald's wedding? Our moment of madness…
- Has bear its fruits…
- Wonderful! You waited until we were divorced to get pregnant!
- Alistair… I'm going to have a baby. We're going to have a baby…
He looked at her. He loved her so much, he had never stopped loving her. She wore glasses like him and they were always on the same wave length. She mid long brown hair. He smiled and approached her.
- Congratulations…
- You're really happy?
- Of course I'm happy…
- And your great aunt is not going to say anything?
- About..?
- The fact that I'm going to have child out of wedlock…
- Are you asking me to marry you?
- No… but my grand-mother…
- You want me to marry you?
She looked at him. She loved him too, but living with him in his family was hell…
- That's the less romantic proposal I've ever heard! Said Patricia.
- Patricia…
- Look, I'm going to have a baby. For the moment, that's all that matter. Do you agree to be my doctor?
- I shouldn't be, I'm the father…
- You're the best…
- But…
- In case you want to send me to one of your colleagues… I don't want another doctor, Alistair… I don't want another man to see me…
They were each other's first time…
- All right, he finally said, I'll be your doctor…
- And I'm begging you, don't overdo it…
- Over do it how?
- You know what I mean…
Alistair's cell phone rang. He answered.
- What? I'll be right there!
- What's going on? Asked Patricia.
- It's Terry… I have to go, he replied getting out of his office running.
He ran to the laboratories of the Andrew enterprises, which were not that far from his doctor's office. He found a moving truck in front of the building with Daniel Legan inside in front of the lab doors. There were two men who came to undo the lock, they started working.
- Daniel? What's going on?
- Well, I have a good and a bad new for you: Your project his cancelled…
- The FDA rejected us?
- Yes! The board of administration decided to reject your project too…
- You're the head of the board…
- You said it…
- You know I've invested a lot of money in this project…
- Nothing venture, nothing gained…
- What's the good news?
- I was able to convince Doctor Candy White to join our team… she very solicited…
- Is that her moving truck over there?
- Yes, she has to start working and your partner locked himself up…
The locksmiths were able to undo the locks of the lab doors…
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Terrence was putting his stuff away and saying goodbye to the chimpanzees with whom he had worked. He was moved. He was going to miss the birth of the little monkey he had seen growing in its mother's belly.
oOoOoOoOoOo
In the truck, there was a cryogenic freezer on wheels, Candice White was making sure the movers would be careful with her precious packages. But a wrong move on her part, because she was very clumsy and it was legendary, she made the freezer slip and off it went on its wheels. She tried to hang on to it, the freezer was going fast straight to the lap where the doors were just taken off…
Candice was hanging on to her freezer on wheels, got in the lab screaming.
Terrence was packing his stuff turned around when he heard her, to see what was going on, he saw the freezer coming at him and he put his arms and he reached to stop it, he succeeded in stoping it but Candice was projected forward and she landed on Terrence. She was happy he had managed to stop the freezer on wheels…
- Oh thank you! Thank you so much! She said.
She kissed him on the lips, once, twice…and something happened… Terrence, who was on the floor with that crazy woman on him, looked at her surprised. She kissed him, once, twice, thanking him… They both had the impression they were hit by lightning… they looked at each other.
- You're hurting me, said Terrence.
- Oh… oh! I'm sorry! Said Candice standing up the way she could, but she hurt Terrence again.
- Ouch, oow! He said standing up.
- I'm confused, said Candice, please forgive me. But you've saved…
While she was saying that, she opened her cryogenic freezer to check that the test tubes were intact.
- Everything is fine in my dairy section, she said, that's how I call all these eggs.
- Eggs? Said Alistair.
- Yes, Candice is going to replace you with her research on eggs/ovum, said Daniel. Candice White, this is Alistair Cornwell and Terrence Grandchester…
- Please to meet you, said Candice smiling.
Terrence wasn't smiling, but he was amazed by the smile for a few seconds… Alistair was smiling to the pretty lady…
- This is your lab, said Daniel smiling
Candice was smiling looking for Terrence with her eyes.
- But where is he? She started…
- Doctor Grandchester has left the premises, said en employee.
- Oh, said Candice sorry, it was his laboratory? But…
- It's yours now, said Daniel.
- But I don't want to take anybody's place.
- And you're not taking anybody's place, I assure you, said Daniel smiling.
Alistair realised that Terrence was gone and he went to look for him.
- Put the chimpanzees in the storage, we wont be needed them anymore, said Daniel to the employees.
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Alistair found Terry at his apartment packing.
- What are you doing Terry?
- I'm going back to London…
- No, Terry, said Alistair, stay, I'm going to look for other funds. The Canadians are interested… we just have to show them our subject…
- It's no use… I'm going back home.
- We're almost there… The Expectane is working…
- But without the funds, we won't be able to continue our research… even with the Canadians.
- I can get the funds… I have an idea…
Terry knew that expression in his friend's eyes.
- Oh oh… what do you have in mind?
- We could do the test on a subject and show the results to the Canadians.
- We don't have a subject to test on… they stopped our research
- Yes, but we can continue in hiding… for the Canadians. We're not forced to tell them who the subject is…
- How…?
- Remember that male chimpanzee on which we tested the expectane? He got to his fourth month of gestation…
- So what?
- So what? What if we tested that on you?
- I'm not a woman…
- We're not going to specify that on the forms… thins at what it would do to those women who can't carry a child to term…
- You want me to be your guinea pic, you want me to be pregnant? Are you out of your mind?
- I'm very serious… I'm going to manage to sell my drug to the Canadians. They are very interested. All we need is a subject X and it's information…
- Alistair, you're loosing your mind…
- Terry, please, don't go. Don't leave me, I can't do this without you…
- You can find another guinea pig…
- Maybe, but nobody is going to take the experience to heart like you…
- No, no, no and absolutely no!
Terry didn't want to hear it. He wanted to go back to his country and find the funds for new research or even convince his father to finance his project. He was done packing and was leaving Chicago. Alistair continue to follow him to convince him to sty. Terry would have it, he was getting on the place. Alistair even bought a plane ticket just to get on the other side to follow Terry inside the plane. He sat down next to Terry, preventing the passenger who was supposed to sit there, to go elsewhere.
- Terry, think about the money we're going to make and to all those women we'll be able to help!
- Most of them won't be able to afford it, it's going to be very expensive…
- That's where we're going to put a system into place to help those who can't afford it…
- I don't know…
- Say yes, Terry and let's get off the plane, it's going to be only for 3 months, we get the data and that's all… you stop and we get our contract with the Canadians.
Terry looked at Alistair. What a crazy idea! But he had nothing better to do at the moment, aside going to ask his father for money and he really didn't support his carreer? Why not try this adventure? Be pregnant for a few weeks? To see what women talked about so much… It was crazy, but why not? It was going to just for a few weeks…
- All right, he finally said
Alistair wasn't sure he heard him right.
- What?
- I said all right! You can't hear anymore? Said Terry smiling
- Oh…oh! So let's get off the plane!
- They ran off the plance. Terry had to take his hand luggage back, which he had put in the upper compartment and they got off the plane at the last minute!
- I have to be crazy…, said Terry. You're going to find an egg tonight, so that we could start.
- Yes, no problem, said Alistair.
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While Terrence was at his place collecting his sperm for the fecundation, Alistair went to the lap to "borrow" an egg in Candice White Dairy section. He opened the freezer.
- So, who is the lucky one today, he said picking up a tube, "Junior" you should do the trick.
He took the test tube and put it in a little thermos bottle to conserve it. The monkeys, who were still in their cages, screamed and… he was surprise to see Candice asleep on her desk, she woke up startled.
- What? Who's there? She asked.
Alistair hit his thermos bottle behind his back.
- It's only me, Alistair, what are you doing here?
- Oh Doctor Cornwell…. Where am I? She said a little lost, oh yes! I'm in my laboratory! But you, what brings you here?
Alistair, still hiding the thermos bottle said:
- Euh, nostalgia, it's hard to leave this lab, where I worked so much…
He looked at Candy with her hair undone and she had a slice of cheese stuck on her cheek. He approached her.
- What? She asked
Alistair took off the slice of cheese on her cheek.
- Oh, there it is! It came from my sandwich…, she said smiling.
Alistair thought she was so cute with her hair undone, she looked like a teenage girl.
- What are you doing here, Doctor Cornwell?
Alistair looked around and he said:
- Oh Cheetah! You kept the chimpanzees!
- Well yes, they were too cute and I couldn't get rid of a future mom…
- Doctor Grandchester is going to be happy.
- Yes, I feel like he's upset with me a bit, for taking his place.
- The pill was bitter to swallow for him…
- It's really a shame that he had to interrupt his research for budgetary reasons… you can tell him he can come here to work. I'm ready to make a place for him. You know him better than me, do you think he's going to agree to share?
- I think he's going to like that very much. More than you think.
He put his thermos on the floor hiding it, approached her to take her hands saying:
- Is there a Mister Doctor White?
She looked at him with her big green eyes, stunned.
- What? She said not getting it, oh… no!
She burst out laughing freeing her hands.
- Well good, said Alistair, we could have dinner one night…
- No, said Candy seriously.
This woman was direct. He had said that to distract her, so he could leave with the egg, but she pushed him away so coldly and it kind of hurt him in his pride.
- All right, he said a little disappointed, I'm going to go.
He picked up his thermos bottle on the floor pretending he was hurting his back leaning and he ran out of there!
- Good bye.
- Good bye.
He went back at Terrence's to do the fecundation…
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA)is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs(medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed[4] and veterinary products.