Chapter 12 - A Real Gender Bender
Exactly half a year had passed since the experiment took place and it was now the day that marked the date when Beaker could finally find out whether he was having a boy or a girl. The morning shone over the lab as Beaker walked in on this fine day in July to find Bunsen and Pipette working on an experiment; he looked at them with tired eyes as the baby had been kicking and moving around a lot lately. Beaker's worn eyes blinked as he remembered the last month, which had not been kind to him; the sleepless nights, the physical pressure, the countless trips to the bathroom - but was it all worth the wait? Was the patience to find out the gender worth ass the physical struggle? Maybe…just maybe…
As his knackered eyes fell on Pipette, he thought quickly to greet her in a positive manner before this physical struggle could drag him down once more, "Meep-meep."
"Oh, morning, Beaker - I hope you're ready for today's little ultrasound!" she said in a rather chirpy manner for she couldn't wait to find out the baby's gender.
"Meep." he said, sighing slightly; he still had a smile, but that was the only thing wrapping up his painful negativity.
"Cool, because… hang on, it is today - isn't it, Bunsen?" she asked him, tapping him on the shoulder; Pipette felt the excitement build up inside her and knowing that the ultrasound was near made her brain go all jittery, causing her to focus on one thing and to forget what was what and where was where.
"Huh, what? Ultrasound? Ultrasound… Ultrasound… Oh yes! It's today." Bunsen said, reminding himself and the female scientist that today was in fact the day of a true revelation, "…Which reminds me… Pipette, could you please go and find Rowlf to check if it's OK to use the equipment this morning."
"Sure thing, Bunsen!" Pipette replied cheerfully, smiling at both of the boys before walking to the door, turning round and saying, "I'll be back in a minute!"
"Okay." Bunsen said, securing the female lab assistant's proposal before turning to Beaker and saying, "So, yes - this ultrasound will conclude if the baby's healthy and whether your having a baby boy or a baby girl."
The tiredness came over Beaker and he didn't speak, but he did smile and nod - it was his way of saying that he understood.
Meanwhile, Pipette began to make her way to the set of Veterinarian's Hospital, on her quest to find Rowlf the Dog; as she slid past the likes of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Miss Piggy and Scooter, she soon overcame the ruckus of the busy corridor between the two rooms. Upon opening the door of her destination, she came across Rowlf the Dog, in his persona of Dr. Bob; his surgeon's gear draped his furry, brown body like a pale-green sea of summery warmth. She looked at him and smiled at him with an awkward look in her eyes; she'd never spoken to him in person very often and she figured today would be a good day to interact with someone other than Bunsen and Beaker. So, without further ado she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Um… Rowlf?"
"Huh? Oh, Pipette - you're from Muppet Labs, aren't you?" he asked, wondering just who she was exactly.
"Yes, is there something wrong?"
"No, on - it's just I figured that one of you would probably be down here to ask about the equipment." he replied.
"That's right - so, can we?" the female scientist asked, wondering if it was OK with Rowlf.
"Of course, just let me pack up and you can move right on in."
"Okay." she agreed, watching the musical surgeon take off his "Dr. Bob" persona and abandon it for his true identity of Rowlf the Dog. Once he was finished changing, she walked to the door and glanced over at him before saying, "I'm just gonna pop back to the lab and tell the boys it's OK." she noted, looking at the dog for a response.
"Cool, I'll just stay here and make sure nobody snags it for ya." the furry pianist replied, looking at her while absentmindedly folding his gear away.
"Okay," responded the female scientist as she quickly darted out the door to the messy corridor; neatly slipping past the population of Muppets known as Lew Zealand, Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, as well as a military clad clan of trumpeting penguins. When she finally reached the lab, Pipette silently opened the door to find Bunsen and Beaker looking raring and ready to go. She looked at them with a smile and said, "Rowlf said it was OK and we can use it in a minute when he's packed up."
"Wonderful! Come on, Beakie - let's go!" Bunsen replied, looking at the timid lab assistant with glee.
As the trio of budding scientists set out, they closed the door to the lab behind them and ventured out across the packed corridor. On the way, they figured they had to slip between the army of musical penguins; duck when they came across the Electric Mayhem, who somehow found that practicing in the hall was a good idea; and dodge the flying fish coming from Lew Zealand as he was trying to showcase his act for Kermit. Seeing these things made Bunsen and Pipette take cover, and Beaker protect his unborn child as they made their way past the mayhem in between the two rooms.
When they finally reached Veterinarian's Hospital, Pipette opened the door to the set only to find that Rowlf had already packed up and left, leaving a note on the side to explain that the room had been taken and the reason why. Pipette lead the way, passing the note she'd read when they arrived, Bunsen and Beaker following; Bunsen only stopped the flow slightly by picking up the note and lifting his glasses from his eyes to get a better look at the slightly-scrapped sheet. Pipette then turned round and gave Bunsen a slight look of enthusiasm before saying, "Looks like we're all set up; so, um, I guess we better get started, then, shouldn't we?"
Her words and sudden movement into conversation brought Bunsen out of his trance of note-reading and back into reality, "Yes, actually - maybe we should." he said, setting his black-rimmed spectacles back onto his nose and faced the female scientist. Bunsen then walked over to the ultrasound device, booting up its computer and waiting for it to set itself up while saying, "We should really think ourselves lucky, as with so many people around this place - we're almost too thankful we've snagged this equipment before someone else like Gonzo." he said, then adding the vital data into the system once the computer was set up and the programme was running. As soon as the blank ultrasound examination screen came into view on the monitor, Bunsen turned towards the two other scientists and said, "Right then, Beaker, if you just sit up on that examination unit and lay back, same as you did last time - and then all you need to do is expose your abdomen." The green-faced doctor then looked at the female scientist as she stood there, awaiting her task, "And you, Pipette, can just smear some of this petroleum jelly onto Beaker's bump." he said, handing her a small tub, "this will help the ultrasound waves get through everything and show us a clear picture of the baby on the monitor." he said, reminding them from last time.
About half a minute later, when the vital things were done, Bunsen then reached out to the ultrasound sensor's hold and pulled out the sensor, watching as the wire dangled below. He then looked at Beaker, who was laid back with his bump exposed and covered with many smears of petroleum jelly, with the ultrasound sensor in his hand at the ready. Bunsen then smiled at Beaker before asking the question, "So, Beaker - are you ready?"
"Meep." Beaker answered; in his mind he guessed he was ready to find out just how his baby was doing, and whether he was going to give birth to a baby boy or a baby girl.
"Ok, now if I just glide this sensor along your abdomen like so, I might pick up something…" Bunsen said, moving the equipment across Beaker's bump; to Beaker, the touch of hard plastic against his growing belly felt sore, like he had been beaten mercilessly along his middle with a plank of wood.
Suddenly, the computer's monitor flickered to life; revealing the image of a kicking foetus. Bunsen peered closely at the screen before addressing Beaker and Pipette with the results. He kept looking at the screen as he read out the information present on the left-hand side of the screen, "Well, Beaker, it appears to me that you have a healthy baby, who is both active and has good development as well as a steady heart rate…" Bunsen read aloud as he looked at the baby, trying to find out the gender of the unborn child.
"What about the sex?" Pipette asked, piping up after a long period of silence.
"I was just coming to that, Pipette. And, Beaker, it shows on the monitor that you are going to have a healthy baby… boy!" Bunsen announced as he turned back to Beaker and Pipette, smiling at the new-found revelation. It was those words that made Beaker smile and tear up slightly, though he tried his best not to show it. It was those words that made Pipette lean over and pull Beaker into a tight embrace and squeak, "Congratulations, Beaker!" all of a sudden. It was those words that made Beaker think, 'Wow - everything's going so fast: my heartbeat, the pregnancy, life itself between me and… Pipette?' he thought, stuck in a current daze as the female scientist pulled away from him. Pipette was puzzled by his suddenly stunned stare and looked at him with slight concern before saying, "Are you okay, Beaker?"
"Meep… Meep." he said, pulling himself out of the trance of deep thoughts and mentally organising his current focus.
"Well, you should be - 'cause you're gonna have a little baby boy!" she said in a cute rush, smiling as she mentally cooed at the thought; quickly conjuring up a few boy's names…
"Meep…" he said, smiling weakly at her; he was happy about this, but the pains of pregnancy were getting to him, and when they got him - they pulled him right down.
"And might I add another congratulations, too, Beaker." Bunsen said, he too was happy of the discovery of the new arrival's gender, and had considered telling Kermit and the others - but then he was reminded of the consequences. As the green-faced doctor gazed at the image of the baby boy in front of him, though; he realised just how fun keeping a secret can be.
"Mee-meep." he said, thanking him; he was just grateful he had friends that cared about him and everything significant that happened in his life.
A little while after the revelation, Bunsen looked at the screen for about a minute, wondering what to do; it was a beautiful baby, but he just had no idea what to do next - should he save it? Is it OK to print? To answer his little queries, Bunsen turned to Pipette and asked her something, "Listen, I really don't know if it's okay to save or print; so, Pipette, if I stay here with Beaker and man the computer - would you go and find Rowlf? Just tell him we're done with the equipment and then ask him if it's okay to save and print." he said, giving her a slightly desperate look as he knew Rowlf was somewhere else and not here to be asked permission.
"Sure, Bunsen - that's no problem at all." the female scientist answered, feeling happy that she could help out in a pretty important situation.
"Excellent, but I have just one more question for you." he asked, clearly building up some minor suspense.
"What's that?"
"Are you sure you won't get lost?" he joked; Bunsen had that one in him for a while as he chuckled softly at his little joke.
"Positive." she said, giggling slightly as she got his gag: she understood what he meant but even though she had only been here for about a year, they both agreed that sometimes that even that amount of time still isn't enough to adjust to all the chaos. As Pipette laughed along to the joke, she found her head felt rather light, so she scanned her focus across the room, even to find that Beaker, though all this pain, could find it in himself to have a good laugh. After a few seconds, though, Bunsen spoke through the laughter and spoke to Pipette in a slightly firmer tone, "But, seriously, though - if you need any help in getting around, do not hesitate to ask anyone." he reassured her, as he knew that her time spent here so far was mostly spent in the Lab - and that it would be good for her to interact with someone else for a change.
"Okay, Bunsen - I won't forget to ask." she said, holding back a few stifled giggles that she oh-so casually breathed out. Quickly and quietly calming herself down, Pipette soon headed to the door and left the two scientists as she started her quest to find Rowlf the Dog.
Soon after she left Veterinarian's Hospital, Pipette had cleared the rather funny thoughts from her mind and began the search for Rowlf. Focused on the task Bunsen had set her, she looked at the many Muppets in front of her; and she knew he liked music, so she then knew that she must look for something musical… That's it! Pipette suddenly had an idea, she rushed through the crowd of other Muppets standing in front of her and headed for the music room! The female scientist was set on reaching her next destination and she scooted past the likes of Lew Zealand and his Boomerang Fish, the Swedish Chef, and Scooter.
When she got to the music room, however, she opened the door to find that there was no-one there apart from Fozzie Bear. Fozzie, upon the opening of the door, looked up at her with a look of sudden quizzical interest. Before she had come in, Fozzie was practicing his rendition of "The Rainbow Connection" by his best pal, Kermit; he knew it was a banjo-type song, but Fozzie just thought it sounded nice on the piano. The bear brought his furry paws off of the piano keys, got up and walked over to her before saying, "Um… you're the scientist girl, right? … Pipette, is it?" he asked, looking at her; Fozzie had never really gotten the chance to know Pipette through the science she did in the lab, he only mainly knew her name and what she did, but nothing more. Many insist that once you arrive at a place like this, you have to try and get on with your own thing; but all but a frog could suggest that, for Kermit believed that everyone had do work together no matter what sometimes.
"Yes, that's it. And you're that bear - Fozzie, right?" she asked, getting acquainted with the fuzzy comedian.
"Of course - Fozzie Bear, amateur comedian at your service. Now, what can I do for you, Pipette?"
"Well… Bunsen needs me to find Rowlf, so that I can ask him something, and I wondered if you know where he is…" the female scientist confessed, giving Fozzie the general picture.
"Okay… well I haven't seen him - maybe he's in the orchestra pit, talking to Nigel." Fozzie suggested kindly; he didn't really know Rowlf's exact location, but he figured those words might help.
"Right, orchestra pit, right - then I best head off; it was nice talking to you, Fozzie." she said, making her way to the door before he suddenly stopped her. Pipette looked down as she noticed that he had his hand on her shoulder; Fozzie then pulled her gently by the arm and looked at her with sweet, desperate eyes.
"And before you go, I do have one question to ask you - do you think I was good?" he asked, practically begging for a positive review.
"Well, it's not like you don't have a talent there." she said, being honest to him because it was true.
"Really? You mean it?" he asked in disbelief, questioning the actuality of his new-found talent.
"Absolutely, it was good - just don't keep putting yourself down and you'll do just fine."
"Gee, thanks Pipette - you're a real friend; and I know we've only just met properly, but… just, thank you for being honest, okay?"
"That's OK, Fozzie - now I really gotta go find Rowlf - I've been gone for nearly five minutes." she warned him; it was really nice to stay and chat but he really ought not to keep her.
"Okay, okay - I won't keep you here any longer - now go, before I say something like that again." Fozzie said, urging her to get on with her task, literally pushing her gently out the door as he got her on her way. Pipette turned towards the door and left the room before saying one last thing to Fozzie as she made her way out of the music room.
"Right. Anyway, it was nice getting to know you - bye." she said, closing the door to the room and leaving the comedian to his musical renditions of famous movie music.
Pipette then let go of the door knob to the music room and made her way to the orchestra pit; where she was certain Nigel would be, but only guessed that Rowlf may be present. She made her way to her second current destination, slipping through Muppets of sorts, such as the Swedish Chef, Gonzo the Great and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. When she had finished slipping through the chaotic mix of singing food, canons and instruments, the female scientist found a clear exit and a start to a new corridor, which she figured led to the stage - regarding the sign she saw on the wall. Set on her new destination, Pipette dodged past the clan of rats and penguins and she made her way down to the stage, which would then lead her to the orchestra pit.
As soon as she got there, she found an empty crowd of theatre audience seats, a dead stage, and a deserted orchestra pit with one person in it - Nigel the conductor - who was carefully picking up odd bits of music that the others might have left behind. Curious about the whereabouts of her good pal, Rowlf, Pipette walked up to him, the orchestra's wall being the only thing separating them, and said, "Um… hi, Nigel - do you know where Rowlf could be. It's just, I haven't seen him, and I need to ask him something." she asked, in desperate need of the medically-educated musician as she knew she couldn't keep the boys waiting up in Veterinarian's Hospital.
"Who? Rowlf? Um… well, no - I haven't seen him lately, to be honest. So, no - I don't know where he could be."
"Okay…" she said, slightly downhearted at the fact that he wasn't here.
"Sorry if I couldn't help, but I just don't know exactly where he - all I know is that he's been running around a lot and lately." he said, stuttering slightly in an apologetic tone as he looked at her, holding the loose sheets of music in his yellow hands before saying to her, "My only advice is to just keep asking people until you find him - and just catch him when you can." he advised her, with a slight knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Thanks, I'll keep trying - now I better go and try to find him, bye." she said, turning round and leaving the firm conductor as he silently finished cleaning up the paper-strewn floor, that was casually left by his usual team of musicians.
As she left the stage area, wandering up the corridor that lead to the back of the stage, Pipette took Nigel's advice about catching him while she can - but, how could she catch him if she didn't even know where he was? The female scientist tried to figure that one out as she skimmed through the hallway of Muppets who were still hanging about. Dodging the knee-high army of penguins and rats, Pipette finally managed to get to the end of the corridor and reach backstage.
When she got there, a crowd of Muppets caught her attention, their uncontrollable chaos pulling her mind away from the focus of her winding task. She saw everyone regarding the likes of Lew Zealand, the Swedish Chef and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem; until she had an idea - Rowlf always had a knack for playing with other musicians, but who else in here has awesome musical talent? Let's see, the Swedish Chef is good at cooking, and the only thing Lew Zealand is good for is hurling fish through holes, so then that must leave Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - that's it! The Electric Mayhem are the only people seen backstage a lot with loads of musical talent - and therefore, those are the ones she should turn to for help next!
Currently psyched with her next bright idea, Pipette spotted and walked over to the music group known as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. When she approached them, she saw five boys and a girl. The boys looked like nothing bothered them and their musical ways; the girl looked the same but somehow, her unforgettable smile told a different story. Out of the five boys she saw in the band, she noticed that the leader wore a colourful frock of sparkly colours, a pink, floppy top hat and a gold tooth; the bass player wore a bright red sergeant's jacket, adorned with gold fasteners and a green army cap atop his hot red head; the saxophonist wore a navy blue hat covering a poof of blues curls, sunglasses and a sandy-yellow smock top; the trumpeter wore an elaborately-embroidered dashiki, with colourful beads around his neck and he had fluffy, blonde hair complete with a scruffy, blonde goatee; and the drummer had a yellow-red coloured shirt, a spiked restraint chain and a hyped look on his furry, red face. And then there was the girl: a pretty bohemian with sunny-blonde hair, chilled-out eyes that remained forever closed and full, red lips. The five boys went by the names of Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Lips and Animal, and the girl went by the name of Janice.
Looking at the band members with slight enthusiasm she tapped the girl, Janice on the shoulder as she didn't want to talk to the boys because of their zoned-out looks before saying, "Hey, um, Janice, is it? Uh, do you know where Rowlf the Dog is - I need to talk to him about something?" she asked, figuring this would be the next step to finding him.
"Hey, you're that scientist chick, aren't you?" Janice said, in a friendly tone, showing Pipette that it's OK to speak around the band.
"Yes."
"Yeah, it's like, nice to meet you - and, um, no, like, I don't know where he is - why, like, what do you want to talk to him about?"
"Oh, not much, just to ask if it is OK to use the printer in Veterinarian's Hospital?"
"Um, even though I'm a nurse there - I don't know if it's OK or not. Hang on, the printer… to the computer?" Janice questioned, edging her way around the female scientist and getting to the root of what she was after.
"Yes. The one connected to the-"
"Ultrasound? Cool; anyway, how are things between you and Beaker… and the baby?" Janice asked, nudging Pipette into telling her more about the situation.
"Good, good - everything's going well and me and Beaker are just fine." Pipette answered simply.
"Awesome - you know, you and Beaker are pretty close - is there something goin' down there?" Janice asked, pulling Pipette into the thought of opening up.
"…I'm not sure; but, if we're close - then that's just the way me and Beaker are." Pipette answered, dragging herself away - she had no idea why she was so close, and no idea what was going on between them - so she passed the rather touchy thought by saying to the pretty hippie, "Listen, if you know who I can turn to to find out where Rowlf is - please let me know."
"Um, OK… well, Zoot was just watchin' whatever he sees - he's not too like, into much - go ask him if he's seen Rowlf." Janice advised, referring to the blue-skinned man dressed in a yellow smock top and blue jeans, with curly, long hair that was a deep shade of blue, contrasting greatly to his dark hat and sunglasses.
As Janice guided Pipette over to the sax player, the blue-skinned man looked at her through his sunglass lens as he held his saxophone close to his hip with one hand before saying, "Hey, um…" he said, forgetting all that existed; Zoot's words mainly consisted of small mutters and mumbles as he slowly burned out with age.
"Pipette." the female scientist said, filling in for the quiet hippie.
"Um, yeah… Pipette. Groovy name. Anyways… uh, what can I like, do for you, huh?" he mumbled, spacing out in a half-dead tone.
"Um, do you know where Rowlf the Dog is - I need to ask him if it's OK to use something up in Veterinarian's Hospital."
"If, uh, you don't mind me asking, but, like - what do you wanna use 'cause, like, Janice is like, a nurse there?"
"Yeah, I know - it's just that, it's um… for the ultrasound's printer?" she asked, a tad nervous; she'd never talked to Zoot about something like this before.
"Oh, like, congratulations… um, how far along are you?" he said, his burned-out nature caused him to mistake things for the obvious as he brought his skinny, blue hand foreword and placed it on the female scientist's stomach.
"Oh no, Zoot, I'm not… pregnant - if that's what you think. God, no - it's Beaker who's having the baby, not me." she corrected him, taking his hand and guiding it away from her middle as she blushed slightly; that one was a first - a thought too soon she might add. "Anyway, do you know where Rowlf could be because I've been gone for over ten minutes?" she warned, scolding them both slightly as she knew she really couldn't keep the boys waiting for too long.
"Uh, like, yeah… I think so…" he answered, plain and simple.
"Great, Zoot - where is he?"
"Like, just before you got here, he, sorta like, went into Kermit's office for something." the sax player finished, pointing a thin, blue hand to a corridor which had a visible door at the end of it, "It's that one down there."
"Thanks, Zoot - I really appreciate it." she said, pulling the musician into a quick hug; thanking both him and his weary yet accurate memory in one act that marked the beginning of a proper friendship.
After that, the female scientist turned and left him, only to follow his directions and go to Kermit's office. Zoot's advice lead her straight down the corridor, which, unlike most of the other hallways in this theatre, were not filled to the brim with Muppets. Instead, the latter only had a few characters from the likes of Miss Piggy to Gonzo the Great; when, at last she came upon the door to Kermit's office - it was a beautiful, dark-mahogany-coloured piece hinged to the theatre wall, bearing only a silver doorplate, spelling out Kermit's name in sparkly, golden letters. Pipette stared at the wooden beauty for a few seconds before entering the room behind it.
When she did enter the room, little did she know that Kermit and long-lost soul Rowlf the Dog were talking beforehand; as they put their conversation on hold when the female scientist looked at them, closing the door behind her. Both the amphibian and the canine looked at her when she came in; the whole room was in a state of awkward silence before Kermit decided to speak up, "Just a minute, Rowlf. Ah, Pipette - what can I do for you on this fine day?" he asked, looking at her while sorting a few sheets of paper atop his rather scruffy-looking desk in the process.
"Oh, uh, hi, Kermit. Um, I just came in here to ask Rowlf something - I've been searching for him for a while, now." she answered, reluctantly referring to the piano-playing surgeon.
"OK, then - ask away, Pipette." he said, referring to Rowlf as well; Kermit turned to the dog, somewhat eager to hear the conversation.
"Well, Rowlf, um… I just came to ask you if we could-"
"Lemme guess - you just came here to ask me if you, Bunsen and Beaker could use the printer connected to the ultrasound?" Rowlf said, finishing Pipette's sentence with a guess of random and superior knowledge.
"And save? Is it OK?" she asked, looking at him in sheer desperation as she awaited her much-needed answer.
"Yes, Pipette - it's no problem at all; you, Bunsen and Beaker can go right on ahead." he answered, being honest with his words of generosity; and it was true, what's his is theirs - meaning they all had to share at some point.
"Thank you so much - you have no idea what I've been through to find you." she said, thanking him as well as summarizing her quest out for him.
"Oh, I have something." Rowlf said in response; he's been here ever since the show began so he knew just how confusing and difficult it was to find someone in such a big place.
"Oh, and Kermit?" she asked, turning to the frog.
"Yes, Pipette?" Kermit asked calmly.
"Sorry about coming in on you like this - I know I should've knocked first." she said, apologizing for her rather unexpected entrance.
"It's no trouble at all, Pipette, honestly…" Kermit said before placing his neat stack of papers on the desk in front of him. Kermit then picked up his coffee cup: it was a white, teacup-like thing that had Kermit's name in a black, calligraphic style; and took a sip of the fuelled blend known as coffee before saying, "because, it's not like anyone ever actually tells me that they're coming in - they just enter anyway." he said, resting his cup neatly on the desk after bringing it down from his wet, amphibious, green lips.
"Oh, OK - it's just, I didn't want to interrupt anything important." she said, reinforcing her reasons of apology.
"You really don't have to apologize, Pipette - anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to Bunsen and Beaker; I mean, you've probably been gone for a while, now." he said, looking at her with his trademark eyes; Kermit really thought that she should get back as he knew that Bunsen might be curious as to where she'd been all this time.
"Oh, God - yes. I completely forgot; I suppose I should be getting back, then. Thanks for reminding me, Kermit."
"Not a problem. Now, get a move on quick before Bunsen loses his rag with you." he said, walking up to her, keen to usher her out the door.
"Okay, Kermit - bye!" she said, moving towards the door; the scientist had clearly understood what Kermit meant when he was inching towards her, so she did him a favour - she made a clean move out of his office.
"Bye!" Kermit said in his usually contented tone as he gave her a small wave of his thin, green hand.
"Yeah, bye." Rowlf said, managing to mutter a brief farewell to the female lab assistant as the Muppets watched her walk down the hall.
As Pipette was clear of the corridor that lead to Kermit's office, she realized that she had soon made it backstage and knew that she then had to retreat back to Veterinarian's Hospital. And, soon finding herself passing many of her previous acquaintances; Fozzie Bear, Nigel and the Electric Mayhem, as well as ones she had passed before, including Lew Zealand and Gonzo the Great - Pipette had finally made it to the final destination's door, her mission had been completed.
When she entered the room, she found Bunsen and Beaker had shifted their attention from random aspects of the room to her entrance. Bunsen's stare was quizzical while Beaker's gaze was an interested stare of slight anticipation.
"Why, Pipette - you've actually returned!" he said, absentmindedly flicking through the corners of a random book as he continued talking to her, "And might I ask you about where you've been all this time?"
"Yeah… about that… can I just tell you that I used your advice on not hesitating to ask someone if I got lost?"
"I guess so… who did you ask?"
"Right… first I went to the music room, and I only found Fozzie; so I asked him, and then he said to talk to Nigel; so I did - but I couldn't find him, either. So then I went backstage, thought the Electric Mayhem would be a good idea and asked them; Zoot then directed me to Kermit's office and that is where I found Rowlf the Dog." Pipette said at a ravenous speed, leaning against the door frame as her tired body fell limp.
"I see why it's taken you fifteen minutes just to find one person… but anyway, is it OK to save and print all of what we did on Rowlf's computer?"
"How can I put this? It's not exactly a problem."
"Excellent!" he said, bringing his look over to the print button before pressing it; the electrical vibes of excitement running through the connection as the computer booted up its complex circuitry to carry out the simple task. And within a couple of minutes, an unbent sheet of fresh card escaped the gnarly mechanism of the printer - the picture was ready. Bunsen hadn't even said anything and within seconds of the paper's arrival into the room, Pipette wandered on over to the printer and collected the picture of her best friend's unborn son. She smiled at the innocent print-out; looking at the little, kicking baby boy in the picture, feeling the same way as she did when she found out the gender - it was like her heart jumped into her throat and she couldn't breathe for a moment and Beaker was the only one who could cure her. She stayed emotionally choking for about a minute as she held the printed card, watching Beaker, waiting for him to make himself decent. He managed to sit up despite the presence of his unborn son, who was squirming and kicking recklessly to prevent this. Beaker just tried to ignore the madness within as he dangled his legs over one side of the exam table, getting a tissue and wiping the smooth remains off his bump, gently nursing it as it ached; for his bump felt sore from all that was going on, even as the tapestry of airy blue cotton from his blouse fell upon it.
Soon enough, Pipette had found the strength she needed to pursue the task and sorted herself out emotionally. She remained "choking" as she walked up to Beaker, exhaling sweetly as she passed him the photo, "Here. But still, congratulations, though - it's nice to know that there's gonna be another boy around here." Their hands touched briefly as the card was handed over; and the hope of a cure was found as the tensions collided - Pipette could breathe again.
"Meep." he said, agreeing with her as he took the photo; he then glanced down at his innocent baby son before placing the latter on the side. His inner pain meant that he was clearly not up to words, so instead he thanked her by pulling her into a tight, secure embrace and sighed.
Bunsen, however, just observed the two in awe as an awkward amount of silence cast over the room; looking at them caused a spark to occur somewhere deep inside his mind, unlocking a silent revelation of a true meaning - in other words: he's never seen anyone be so close with anyone else before, it was like there was an amazing chemical bond shining through.
Moments later, as the two assistants broke apart from the hug, Bunsen drifted away from his intricate gaze all of a sudden and then began to adopt a more collected tone as he made a quick save of the file before turning to Beaker and Pipette, "Right, then - maybe it's about time we got back to the lab and finish up here, don't you think?" he asked in a rather rhetorical manner; he really thought that even the simplest tasks took just too long to do today. Beaker and Pipette looked at him and nodded, silently agreeing with him. Bunsen then turned the computer off while Pipette held her hand out to Beaker, subsequently helping him down from the unit; he jumped off as his untucked shirt fell over his belt and dragged down to his crotch, then causing him to tuck it in. As he did so, his clothed appearance seemed less baggy and instead his bump became more visible as the shirt was placed around it. When all was both said and done, Bunsen let them know when they were leaving by silently leading them with a quiet hand signal or two. The three scientists then left the serenity of Veterinarian's Hospital and entered the madness of the corridors, just to get to the calm but lonely atmosphere of the lab. Passing many characters like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem to Lew Zealand in the midst of chaos, they found that they had soon reached their destination only to be known as the homey Muppet Labs.
As soon as they reached the Lab, Bunsen and his two assistants had opened the door only to find that everything that was there had been untouched for a good twenty minutes; books on the shelves were still sat there collecting dust, the chemicals were still resting in their proper containers, and even the experiment that Bunsen and Pipette were working on had not been affected by the touch of life. When the three scientists had securely entered the room, Bunsen had neatly shut the door as soon as his two assistants got in; Pipette wandered over to the paused experiment while Beaker came in, clutching his stomach - he had been struck with another gnarly kick from the baby as it now seemed that when the baby learnt to do something - he won't stop doing it for a while. The pregnant lab assistant held his sore bump as he watched Bunsen follow Pipette over to the experiment they'd started earlier. Beaker rubbed his swollen belly contentedly as he thought of his unborn son, smiling at the though while at the same time wondering what to do to busy himself. He could only think about how awesome it was to be having a son, but while his thoughts remained on the subject, he did think about how different it would be to have a daughter; all the fuss about make-up, prams and dolls, only to dismiss the matter and consider thinking about how his son might turn out - all football, jokes and music, probably. He then took sight of the room in front of him and soon began to drift into reality, quickly deciding how he could occupy himself - be reviewing the science in some of the Lab's previous inventions. Perfect.
While he still had the idea at least, Beaker began to make his way to one of the shelves that was affixed to the wall; they contained folders of sorts, each with a different colour, and they had in them detailed encounters of previous scientific experiments or inventions. Now Beaker just had to pick a folder: hmmm… there was a purple one with "Banana Sharpener" written up its spine - it was a strange invention and come to think of it, Beaker nearly got impaled by the idea; then there was an orange folder that read "Edible Paperclips" - yeah, like that was a good idea - well, for a while, that is, until Beaker found out he was gonna spend his night under a sewing machine; and finally he cast his eyes over a green folder that read "Copying Machine" - God, the controversy behind that - shame it had a kink in the quantity dial, though - but it was something that Beaker could look back on. The shelf was a little high up, meaning that when he tried to reach for it, it proved that he had trouble supporting both him and the baby, but in the end, he managed. He then stood there, holding the green ring binder in his hands, looking for a place to sit and check the folder out. After about a minute searching, Beaker found the perfect place to sit: at a quiet table that was overrun with books - then all he had to do was either move the books or put them away. Beaker then walked over to the table, moving the books as he wasn't up to putting them away; that little sod inside him was doing a number on his organs.
When he sat down, Beaker plonked the folder on the table and opened it to reveal the invention's introduction; it was basically a brief set of plans and diagrams that had been collectively put into the folder, ultimately leading to the great failure that is the Copying Machine. He read the brief introduction to the folder while nursing his sore belly; the gentle rubbing caused the movement to die down and the baby to drift off to sleep. As he continued through the folder, finishing the introduction and skimming through the further developments, Beaker began to recall the events that happened that day in his mind… 'Yeah, I remember that… God, the day was a bitch, though. I mean, first I try and reason with that damn pig, Miss Piggy - but she just couldn't understand me. And then I went to check out something on the actual machine itself - only to get blinded - and eventually trip and fall into the interior. And Christ, when I got inside though, I mean; I tried to call out but then suddenly I heard the whirring of the mechanism, and as I went to check that out, I heard a zap and then my whole body started to ache - and before I knew it there was eight of me! When we got transported to the lab, I knew it was crowd so me and my seven other copies crawled out of the hole - and boy, did we have a good time chasing Bunsen 'round the theatre all day?" Beaker thought, chuckling mentally as he read on while continuing to keep his calm son, now stirring, at bay from any more kicks.
Beaker then turned the page, as he was mainly struck with a new focus - multiplication: the form of transformation caused when two very different things come together. They could be a needle and thread, a man and a woman, or even a timid lab assistant and a bulk of complicated machinery - all in all; it was there to make something. The new something could be anything, but the new something will always be important and stand proud like the amazing thing it will turn out to become. This new focus lured Beaker into a trance of deep thinking, which caused him to consider matching up the ways of multiplication with his son - and the two were considered very similar, well, at least the numeric factors of multiplication were. Science was just a big mystery, but the only thing that was actually becoming a bit more clear was Beaker's thoughts about his son; and as amazing as that was - Beaker was actually looking foreword to becoming a parent. Completely mesmerised by the thought, Beaker began to think about how it all somehow fitted together… 'Wow, I still can't believe that I'm having this baby… boy - it still freaks me out a bit knowing that I'm gonna have a son, and not a daughter - but this is still just amazing. But my son: he's been kicking me a lot, and moving around loads, too - and I don't think that's a problem, because Bunsen said that the baby is obviously becoming more active as he grows - so I guess that all I can say now is: that's my boy. Heh. Awesome. I just hope that he's gonna stay like this, you know - 'cause I don't want anything to go wrong, I just want him to be OK. But what am I gonna name him, though, 'cause it's not like I have much time - I mean, the baby's gonna be here in like, three months? Well, let's see… he's a boy, so I gotta think of some boy's names, right? Right. So let's think of some names. But there's loads; and I only gotta pick one… and that just seems a bit too difficult - so why not suggest some and go from there? OK, well there's the name Robert - that's kinda nice but maybe something else, like Daniel - or maybe not… Fine, then I guess not everything works then - or could it be that the name might lie something on the lines of… Andrew? Hey, yeah - Andrew - that seems nice; I like it. But… I will give it some more thought when the times comes, though - just in case it doesn't all go to plan…'
Beaker continued to rub his bump, looking a tad more relaxed as he felt the baby within him squirm a bit before gently settling down in a curled-up state. As he did this, he stared at the page; delving into the factors of the element of multiplication… 'Wait, to multiply, you'd need two or more things, right? And when you find them, you watch them get together to make something else, right? Heh, makes me think of the baby - like as in makes me think about what the baby would need - if only the whole thing was switched. Hang on, am I even making sense? Probably not. Anyway, my point is that if I'm going to raise this baby right, I need to have faith that I won't do it alone. I have friends but… the baby doesn't have proper parents: you know, a mom and a dad - he's just got me. But, it's not like I'm desperate or anything, it's just that I've got three months left until I have this baby - and I'm just a little freaked, that's all. But, then again, maybe I don't need somebody to love just yet… when I know I've got my son and my friends to love at the moment… which is nice, but, why do I love my friends? What makes them so awesome to be around? Maybe it's because that they're always here for me and that they like me for who I am. Oh man, do I love them; I love Bunsen, even though he tests everything under the sun on me, and I love Pipette, even though that totally sounded strange… I love her… is that what this is? Weird. Pipette is an amazing friend, but using the word "love" just changes everything. Hang on, so if this is weird - then, what is she to me?' he pondered, obviously still deep in thought as hr shifted a little, pressing his back as the weight of the baby tended to get a tad uncomfortable from time to time. Beaker thought it was nice to be having a baby, but then again, pregnancy did have one or two painful setbacks; nevertheless, Beaker still tried his best to support the baby, even as his mind soon dragged him back into realms of mindless thought… 'Heh, what does she mean to me? It's a hard question to answer, but it kind of gets me thinking… about how close we are, and how sweet she sounds when she says she'll be there - and, oh man, what is this feeling? But, man, do I love her… for all that? Strange. That time it didn't sound weird. Maybe, that's it. Maybe, it's love. Maybe I love her…' he thought, staring down at the green folder's page blankly; Beaker was completely silently, he didn't know what to think. He could only blink a few times before exhale and shifting back to his original position as he felt his baby squirm and change positions, too.
Meanwhile, as Pipette stood over at the table with Bunsen, working on the experiment with him, it looked pretty clear that she had something on her mind. The female scientist watched as Bunsen set up another beaker, filling it with water and setting it atop a blue-flamed Bunsen burner. She observed him carefully as he picked up a small bottle of blue dye and gently shook the contents; the substance was as blue as Zoot's remaining hair and stained the glass as it swished around like a miniature whirlpool. When he was sure the water was the right temperature, Bunsen unscrewed the bottle's top and pulled it out, revealing an attached pipette that was congested with the blue dye. He then squeezed two drops into the beaker of frenzied water, and the two of them watched the colours unravel in awe; a mix of shaded blues swam out into the clear liquid like ribbons undoing in a vast rush to escape from their previous, tight-knitted home. Her eyes surveyed the epic blue explosion, watching it cool and settle gently before resting in the water like shaded rags dying in a light wind. She fixed her gaze on the state and gave it a focused stare, the thought had settled as she started to consider reflecting on her life as she knew it, 'Wow, what a day - and a confusing one at that. I mean, stuff has just been forming from other stuff, and collecting dust because I just don't know what to bloody-well do about it all! My life is screwed! I-I'm just so overwhelmed with… feelings. Feelings that change my life and don't let me know what they mean. Feelings that make my heart beat faster than I planned and make me go all weird and jittery. Feelings that make me want to explore… all the way, and that have to - stop! Stop…' she thought, contemplating her emotions as she stared at the experiment in front of her; she could feel her eyes welling up slightly, but she couldn't cry - she could only think more… The female scientist sighed as her eyes moved from the experiment to Beaker; she watched him as he felt the baby give him a slight kick, he was also smiling slightly because he knew it was typical of his son to start kicking at a random time. Seeing this made Pipette feel like thinking about how awesome her life was at the time, 'Aww… Beaker seems so relaxed lately - I wonder how he's gonna get on, now that he's got a little boy to look after - I just think it's pretty amazing. I mean, it's nice to find peace every now and then, and it is even nicer to see someone you really care about actually experience something so easy-going and calm. He's just so different now, because back then he was so tense and nervous - and now he's not so on-edge; maybe because of the baby, maybe it's just a prenatal thing…' she thought, looking down towards the colourful dye mixtures that lay in front of her and Bunsen. Her eye caught another beaker on the table, but this time it was clear - like it was about to be tested on with a rather diabolical-looking mix of purple dye and hydrochloric acid. The female scientist looked at the container with wide eyes as she watched the mixture drop in - observing it as the dye exploded like a ribbon from a cannon and fizzed like some kind of incompatible solution as it refused to play nicely with the other substance. Her eyes gave a quick blink before her mind trailed back off again, '… and it's not like I don't care. Because I do care - about him - a lot.' she sighed a heavy sigh as she watched the intolerable concoction settle to form a tired pool of purple, bubbly liquid around the bottom of the half-emptied beaker, 'And if I care about him, then I should maybe think of a few names for the baby. And even if we don't use them, the only thing that matters is that I cared enough to contribute some. Now - names… boy's names… oh, God. I mean, there's Andrew - that's nice. Or Michael - that's a pretty good one. Or… um, now it's getting hard - Andrew and Michael are the only ones I got. Wow, and I thought choosing boy's names would be easy - but I guess it's a lot harder than it looks when it comes to parental terms. I mean, it's not like I'm the one having the baby; I'm just a friend, and nothing more. No, seriously though, Beaker's the pregnant one - he's the one that should be considering baby names - not me. Now I feel useless, in a sense - like I need to feel a part of his life - I don't know why - but it feels wrong to stray away from him emotionally.' Her eyes watched the settled fizz and went from a concerned, glassy stare to a sarcastic pool of emotions as she thought, '…And now we're back to the feelings - God, this is gonna be tough. I mean, I really don't know about this feeling. It's like I want to be with him all the time, I but every time I try I tend to shy away - even though my heart is for some reason screaming against it. And now I've noticed, what with the serious attitude change in Beaker, that things aren't as awkward anymore; like I don't feel as weird as I did before when I hug Beaker now, and how I don't always feel like throwing up when I go to hold his hand anymore. It's all changed.' Pipette looked at Beaker in a sort of wistful way; like she longed for a secure way to stop her painful emotions of confusion and despair, as she made one final thought, 'God, I hope only if it's gonna change - it changes for the better - and that I find my emotions for what they are. I hope it happens soon, though - because I just want a feeling I can be happy with; instead of a load that I'm confused about." the female scientist thought as she turned her head away from Beaker and blushed; she really needed to know what was going on, and she desperately needed to know before the baby arrives.
As the rest of the day passed, everyone in the lab knew that at least something in the next month was going to back up something totally life-changing. Mixed feelings were the same for everyone - yet different, in a way; Beaker thought he was in love, Pipette felt lost, and Bunsen just felt happy that everything was going smoothly. In all, life was not going to take anyone by storm in the next month, but things were definitely going to change - not in the dyer sense of deterioration, but the gradual sense of development. So in all fairness, things were just going to become stranger - only for all this suspense to soon pay off.
A/N: Hi, guys - I'm back with another one! And I hope you enjoyed it… for the next chapter will be far from ordinary - as it will be yet another point of view chapter, but don't worry, because it will just mean more appreciation (and more fun had) towards writing for the others, which are, in my opinion, probably feeling a bit left out at the moment. Anywho, byesie-daisies - and see you next time!