* Merry Christmas dear readers! My gift to you is a chapter :) And it's a little longer, too. We'll get a little insight as to what's on the girls' minds as they talk to Dr. Martinez. I'm hoping to get to post at least two more times during Christmas break, so look for Max to be in labor at the very least before the New Year! With any luck, Dilly will even make her appearance by then.
btw, if you need a refresher to Miranda and Jump's story, it's in chapter 85 of IGGY
I love feedback, so if you'd like to give me a gift, reviews are my favorite :)
Miranda, Nudge, Angel, Sunny and Dani-with James on her lap-sat in Dr. Martinez's waiting room. They were arguing over who would go first. None of them wanted to.
Dr. Martinez came out of her office smiling. Maybe more like smirking.
"So, who's going first ladies?" When she got no response, she called one of them. "Miranda?"
Miranda groaned.
"Actually," Nudge spoke up. "I'll go first. I have something I want to ask you."
Nudge nervously followed Dr. M into the exam room. It smelled like a combination of cleaner and dog. Dr. Martinez gave Nudge a dressing gown, (she got them from the local hospital, because, obviously, her usual patients didn't need to wear dressing gowns) and left the room momentarily while Nudge changed.
When Dr. Martinez returned, Nudge was sitting on the examining table, feet swinging, with both hands in her lap. Dr. M drew some blood and examined Nudge thoroughly. Thoroughly enough that Nudge cringed and blushed several times. She only felt slightly better at the thought of the others having to endure the same scrutiny. Dr. M gave Nudge some privacy to get dressed again-which she found amusing considering there wasn't much Max's mom hadn't just seen already-and told Nudge to meet her in the office.
"So, everything looks fine. The blood tests are routine and I don't see any reason to send you for a gynecological exam until you become sexually active," Dr. M paused. "Many years from now." It almost sounded like a stern order.
"Send me? Like to another doctor?" Nudge asked.
"It's hardly my area of expertise and I don't have the proper equipment here. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. You said you had something you wanted to talk about, right?"
"Um, well, I was wondering. . .do I have to marry a bird boy? I mean, to have kids some day, like Dani and Max. Does it have to be someone like me?"
Dr. Martinez knew she would have to explain to all of the flock eventually how they were different enough from full humans that they wouldn't be able to reproduce with them. "If you mean a hybrid, yes. And even then, it won't be a guarantee. Is there someone in particular or is this hypothetical?"
"Oh, I'm just thinking about the future," Nudge paused. "The far future." She stretched the word far out to make her point. "It's just that, well, I don't have many options as far as the flock goes. If you know what I mean. And I'm going to be meeting a lot of new people in school."
Dr. M smiled, "You're right, Nudge. You will be meeting a lot of different people. And hybrids. Some may be like you. Some will be very different, even if they look like you. But you should concentrate on having fun and making friends. You're too young to be thinking about settling down just yet."
"But you're saying that to have a family some day, I'll have to find another bird kid. Otherwise, it won't work." Nudge was trying to make sure she understood the situation.
"Yes, but there are options. You should choose a partner based on values, interests and love."
"Options?"
Dr. Martinez hesitated getting into details with the fifteen year old. "Adoption, surrogacy, or in vitro fertilization. Again, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. So, let's not worry about it yet." Valencia smiled as she stood, signaling the end of their conversation.
Nudge left the office with some things to think about. Adoption? She didn't think she'd ever find a bird-baby to adopt. And what were those other two things? Oh well, she wasn't going to worry about it now. Dr. M was right. Nudge was so looking forward to school and making new friends.
The other girls went into the exam room one by one, repeating the same process as Nudge. Dr. Martinez was surprised that each and every one of them wanted to talk to her afterward.
Angel was next. She sat across from Dr. M behind her desk as she matter-of-factly stated her case.
"I think school is going to be a waste of time. Max, Fang and Iggy didn't have to go."
"Angel, you should look at it as an opportunity, not a chore. If nothing else, you'll meet kids your own age. You might find a new friend or two," Valencia suggested.
"Sunny and I get along just fine. Besides, I'd rather hang out with older kids. Regular kids my age aren't all that mature," Angel complained.
Dr. M stifled the urge to chuckle, knowing that Angel was perfectly serious. "Well, many of the doctors' and scientists' kids are actually very mature for their ages."
Angel rolled her eyes.
Dr. Martinez decided to try a different approach. "Can I ask you something? I don't want you take this the wrong way."
Angel simply shrugged.
"Do you not want to go because you haven't had any formal education? Are you afraid they'll think you're not smart?"
Silence was Angel's reply.
"You know, many of the kids have been living on the streets much the same as you were. They haven't had any schooling either. And unfortunately, quite a few have never had a real family. You could actually be a mentor to some of them," Valencia proposed. "It's not all about using correct grammar or solving math equations. I hope you'll at least give it a try. The school is meant to be a support system."
Valencia thought Angel appeared to be thinking about it, which was more than she was doing when she came in.
Finally, Angel answered, "Maybe. Maybe I'll give it a few weeks."
It was more than Dr. M was hoping for.
After her exam, Miranda waited nervously in Dr. Martinez's office. She seemed much more nervous now than she did in the exam room. Her right knee bounced quickly while she twirled a strand of her red hair around a finger.
"You seem in fine health, though I wasn't really expecting otherwise." Dr. Martinez paused. "I hear you and Jump are dating."
"Yes."
"I don't mean to embarrass you, but as a doctor, I need to ask. Are you sexually active?"
Miranda blushed almost as red as her hair. "Why do you need to know?" she asked.
"I'll take that as a yes. Miranda, we've already got one baby and another on the way. Learn a lesson from Dani and Max. I want to make sure you're taking precautions. Every time. Have you been?"
Miranda lowered her head in response.
"Aye, aye, aye. Well, you've been lucky, but luck only holds out so long. I'm going to recommend a doctor for you to have an exam and discuss options. Condoms are easiest, but if you want to try-" Valencia stopped when she saw a tear fall into Miranda's lap.
"Miranda? Oh, God, you don't think you're already-"
"No," Miranda interrupted.
"Then what's wrong? Please, I want to help."
"I don't think I can," Miranda said.
"Don't think you can what?" Dr. M questioned.
"I don't think I can get pregnant. We've never used anything, ever."
The doctor in Valencia had to restrain herself from lecturing. "Well, like I said-you've been lucky. That doesn't mean there's a problem. How long has it been going on?"
Miranda hesitated. If she answered honestly, she'd have to tell Dr. M. the whole sick story. She took a deep breath, resigning herself to the fact that that's what she'd have to do.
"Off and on for three years."
Valencia's eyes widened. "What? You mean three months, right?"
"No." Miranda lifted her head. "I meant three years."
"But, he's only sixteen."
Miranda proceeded to tell Valencia about Ted, the sordid gambling ring and the roles she and Jump were forced to play.
When she finished, Valencia sat stunned. She was furious, wondering aloud if Jeb knew and allowed Ted contact with the flock anyway.
"We only told Max. And Dani knew because Ted used it as a threat against her. Jeb didn't know unless Ted told him. Ted is too much of a coward to do that," Miranda said.
"No wonder you and Jump were so against him helping with Dani's rescue. I wish I had known, I would have kept him out of it," Valencia said.
"Don't say that. He actually helped a lot. I guess he was really trying to make up for it. He did apologize to me before Jeb let him go," Miranda explained.
"You can't apologize or make up for something like that," Valencia muttered. "Would you like to talk to someone? Professionally, I mean. I know a few doctors who'd be able to help."
"No. It's in the past. Jump and I have talked about it. Things are good between us. And we'd rather not have too many people know," Miranda said, adding, "Despite the way we started out . . . we love each other." She blushed. She wasn't an overly emotional person and admitting out loud that she loved someone was a much bigger deal than Valencia realized. Then it dawned on Valencia that she hadn't addressed Miranda's original comment.
"So, you're concerned because you have gotten pregnant all this time?"
"Yes. Don't get me wrong, I really don't want a baby right now. Some day I would, though. But like you said, luck usually only holds out so long. I'm afraid there's something wrong with me," Miranda confessed.
"It could be Jump," Valencia suggested.
"I never even thought of that," Miranda said. "I just assumed it was me."
"We'll do some tests-on both of you. And we can go from there."
Miranda left the office feeling a little better. Not that she wanted anything to be wrong with Jump, but knowing there was a possibility that she was okay put a little spring in her step.
When it was Sunny's turn to sit in 'the chair', she sat in silence for a few minutes looking around the room. Dr. Martinez waited patiently until Sunny finally met her gaze.
"I changed my mind," Sunny said and started to get up.
"Are you sure? You can talk to me about anything. I'll keep it confidential," Dr. M. assured her.
Sunny appeared to be considering it. "Mmm, no, I don't think so." But Dr. Martinez wasn't convinced.
"Oh, okay. I think I'd have a lot of questions. So much has happened in the last year. Some of it has been hard for me to process. I can't imagine how all of you kids are handling everything."
Sunny debated whether or not to bring up the subject she was interested in. She had tried talking to others in the flock, but they all seemed uncomfortable discussing it. Dr. Martinez was nice and Sunny thought she may have an answer for her.
"Dr. Martinez, I do have a question," Sunny paused. "I was wondering, if everybody misses Dylan so much, why can't someone just make another one?" It seemed to make perfect sense to a girl who'd been cloned herself.
Dr. M had a similar look on her face to those Sunny had already spoken to. Although, Dr. M was better at trying to hide it.
"Why does everybody look like that when I ask?"
"Because, Sunny, a lot of people feel that cloning people is immoral. That's one reason we tried to stop all the scientists from experimenting," Dr. Martinez explained.
"But we're all clones. My flock, I mean. Would it be better if we didn't exist?"
Once again, Valencia found herself surprised by the subject matter she was discussing with one of the girls. "No, of course not! It's difficult to explain. And you weren't simply cloned, you were enhanced-genetically manipulated into a new species."
"Well, who's to say that's wrong? Why would people be able to figure out how to do that if they weren't supposed to?" Sunny asked, not sarcastically, but genuinely.
Dr. Martinez was taken aback. "I'm not sure. But people also have the ability to kill another person. Doesn't mean they should." She tried to choose her words carefully. "I guess if you're asking me, personally, I would say the human race should be allowed to evolve on its own."
Before Sunny could point out her hypocrisy, Valencia continued. "I know, I was originally involved with the experiments that produced Max and her flock. But I was young and I was too intrigued by the science of it to realize all of the ramifications. At the time, I believed it was for the betterment of man kind. It wasn't until years later that I learned exactly what those experiments were and that lives were being churned out in alarming numbers. Most of them were disregarded, mistreated or worse, coldly terminated. I still struggle with my role at the School. On one hand, I wish the experiments hadn't been conducted-there was so much suffering. But on the other hand, there would be no Max. Or any of you. I'm so glad to have all of you in my life."
"So, you wouldn't necessarily change the past, because it all worked out for you. But you will do whatever you can to prevent-what did you call it-genetic manipulation, in the future?" Sunny's words cut right to the heart of the matter. Valencia was amazed at Sunny's insight and it cut Valencia to the quick. It was difficult for Dr. Martinez to see herself in such harsh light.
"I don't sound any better than Dr. Graham or Gunther-Hagen when you put it that way. You've given me a lot to think about," Dr. M admitted.
"Then is that why you don't think we should make another Dylan?"
Valencia sighed. "That's a little different. Physically, another Dylan could be created. He was just one of many as it was. But it wouldn't be our Dylan. He was unique, even though he was a clone. He was his own person, inside. The experiences he had, the people he knew, the knowledge he acquired-all those things made him the person he was. Like Max and Miranda. They look a lot alike, and they have some similarities, but they're very different in many ways, too. Miranda is her own person. So, you see, we can't simply replace people."
"I get it," Sunny said, satisfied by Dr. M's explanation. "Why couldn't anyone else just tell me that? Angel and Nudge seemed so mad at me."
"We're all still grieving, in our own ways. I'm sure Nudge and Angel were simply uncomfortable with the idea of forgetting and replacing Dylan, even if that's not exactly what you had in mind," Valencia said. "I can talk to them if you'd like."
"No, I can handle it. Now that I understand. Thank you. I appreciate you not talking to me like a little kid," Sunny said gratefully.
"You're a very mature young lady," Dr. Martinez smiled. "And you've given me some things to think about." She watched Sunny leave her office, wondering how someone so young and inexperienced had been able to put her finger so pointedly on the very moral dilemmas Valencia had been struggling with for years, but hadn't quite been able to admit.
James wriggled on Dani's lap as she sat in the office while Dr. M looked over his chart.
"He's the picture of health," Dr. Martinez said, smiling. "And very active."
"Yeah, sometimes I wish he had an off switch!" Dani joked.
"You seem in fine health too. Do you have any questions for me? Any concerns?" Dr. M asked.
"No, not really. I've noticed that I can see a little better lately, though. And I've been having more premonition-like experiences, too." Dani informed her.
"Oh? I knew that you have been able to tell when things were going to happen a couple of times, but I didn't realize it was ongoing." Dr. M was curious. "How often does it happen?"
"I don't know, maybe five or six times in the past year. Ever since James was born. I haven't really been keeping track."
"What kinds of things do you see?"
"It's more of a feeling, not quite a voice in my head, mostly. Sometimes, I'll get a flash of a picture in my mind, like the day James was born. When the bad guys were coming, I could feel it. Dylan did too. That was a time I got an image-of helicopters-in my head," Dani told her.
"Is it always just big events?"
"No, sometimes I'll know when James is going to fall or do something he's not supposed to," Dani laughed. "I bet some day James is going to wish I couldn't do that."
"So, you can't control it?" Valencia asked.
"No. I wish I could. Maybe I would have been to save Dylan." A small gasp escaped Dani's lips. "Do you think Dylan saw it coming? He could tell when things were going to happen sometimes too. Do you think he knew and saved Max and Iggy anyway?"
Valencia thought about it. "I don't know, I think it's something he would have done. But Dani," Valencia put a hand over Dani's, "I don't want you feel responsible. I know that if you could have, you would have saved him. Don't take on guilt that isn't your to bear."
"I know," Dani replied. "I just wish, is all."
As Dani and James left her office, Dr. Martinez was pleased at how well the visits went. Much better than she had hoped. She felt she had been able to at least address all of their concerns, if not solve them. It made Valencia's heart swell, knowing she was making a difference in the girls' lives. And to have them confiding in her, trusting her, reaffirmed her feeling that all of them were becoming one big melting pot of a family. And she was their mom.
* the boys are next. Think Roger will have as good luck as Dr. M? hee hee