Title - Tears of Yesterday II
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG-13
Category - JMPR, MP/L
Spoilers: Pretender Season 4
Summary - An unexpected turn of events threatens Jarod and Miss Parker's newly discovered happiness.
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Chapter 6
* * * * * * * *
10 weeks later
* * * * * * * *
Nurse Lyreen keeps herself busy in the kitchen preparing Miss Parker's meal. She tried to avoid looking at the woman if she could. She seemed so sad and despondent. Nothing could break her from the depression she's settled into.
She watches Miss Parker waddle slowly to the sofa and ease her bulging mass onto the seat. Almost simultaneously, one hand moves to wipe away a tear that always seemed to be present, while the other gently rubbed her stomach.
"How long have I been here?" Miss Parker asks quietly. The nurse is startled, expecting the usual quiet visit. Her young patient rarely spoke.
"A little over 2 months," the nurse tells her. "Ten weeks to be exact. That's how long your treatments were supposed to last."
"Treatments," Miss Parker snorts with obvious doubt. "Is that what Carson is calling this? What is he doing to me anyway?"
"Mrs. Stone . . ." the nurse starts to explain.
"And stop calling me that," Miss Parker yells. "The name is Parker. *Miss* Parker. I don't care what he tells you. That man is not my husband. He's keeping me here against my will and you're perpetuating that."
"Miss Parker, I can't really get into it," the nurse mumbles. She hastens her motions to quickly get the breakfast to her patient. She didn't want to answer questions that shouldn't even be asked.
"Just tell me," Miss Parker pleads. "You won't even have to say much. I'll guess and you tell me if I'm right or wrong. Now, these treatments obviously have something to do with the baby." She pauses and watches the nurse hesitantly nod her head.
"I'm put to sleep and when I wake up, I have an fresh needle mark in my arm. So you're giving me some kind of drug." The nurse nods again and Miss Parker continues. "I'm going to guess it's a growth hormone or something. I seemed to have expanded quite a bit since I've been here. I've never been pregnant before, but I look and feel practically full term." She looks down at her huge belly and cringes slightly as the active child shifts and pinches a nerve.
"When you got here, you were approximately 20 weeks along. That's halfway through your pregnancy. And tomorrow will be your last treatment. The baby's ready now," the nurse says surreptitiously, lowering her voice so no one could overhear.
"What do you mean ready? Are you trying to tell me that I've gone through the last 20 weeks of my pregnancy in half the time? Are you trying to tell me that this baby will be born tomorrow?" Miss Parker asks incredulously.
"I have to go," the nurse whispers. "I've said too much."
"What's going to happen to my baby?" Miss Parker asks frantically.
The nurse doesn't answer. She just looks at Miss Parker sympathetically before practically running out the door.
Miss Parker sits in shock for a few minutes. There was no doubt in her mind the baby was ready. Even though she was only technically about six and a half months along, she looked and felt like she was full term. She wonders briefly how a drug like this could benefit Carson. She wonders what role in this whole thing her father played. She didn't know much more about what's going on than what she told the nurse. But the one thing she knew for certain was that she had to get out of there. They were going to take her baby tomorrow. And she couldn't let that happen.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Jarod!" Lyle yells excitedly, not even caring about the precautions they've taken over the past few months to keep their alliance a secret. He runs into the apartment, only taking the requisite amount of time to ensure the door was closed and locked before rushing into the living room.
"Jarod," he calls again, waking the man up from his nap on the couch. "Wake up. I think I've got it."
"Got what?" Jarod yawns. As he sits up, a stack of papers from a file he was reviewing scatters to the floor.
"I think I know where she is."
Jarod perks up instantly when he hears this news.
"You've found her?" he asks Lyle.
"Not exactly. But I think I've found where she might be." He hands Jarod an article, but can't wait for the man to read it. He rattles off a summary of what it says. "This article is about an annual convention held in Canada by the private medical sector to help solicit funds. It mentions how this year, many of clinics and research facilities seem to be focused on the mysteries of pregnancy and childbirth."
"So if we're going with our assumptions about Carson working for a place like this, it's possible that he, or a representative from whatever facility he's with, was at this conference. Based on those bank records, your father wasn't paying him enough to support an entire facility. So they'd need funding from somewhere else."
"Not just possible," Lyle grins. "It's definite he was there." Lyle points to the picture with the article. A black circle was drawn around an area in the top right.
"What am I looking at?"
"It's hard to see on here. But I had Broots enlarge and digitally enhanced just that area of the photo." He hands Jarod the other picture and waits for his reaction.
"That's Carson," Jarod gasps. "He looks a little different with the blonde hair, but that's him."
"And every one attending had to register and give a name and address of a legitimate clinic or medical research facility," Lyle adds.
"We already know that your father was making those payments to Black Hill Medical and Genetic Research Authority. We checked them out and didn't find anything."
"It doesn't matter. They're not on the list anyway," Lyle tells him. "There is, however, a place called CarMed Tech. They're on the edge of a breakthrough in the gene enhancement and manipulation frontier. And, as it turns out, they're a subsidiary of Black Hill Medical and Genetic Research Authority."
Jarod stands up and starts to pace, trying hard to process all the information Lyle's brought to him. Miss Parker was within their grasps now. He could feel it.
"I think this is it," Jarod admits. "I think we've found her."
He starts to pace a little faster. His mind was already running through a basic SIM of the situation. He had to come up with a way to get in and get her out safely.
"Lyle, tell me what you know so far. I need a little more information. I can't quite get a clear picture of the whole puzzle here," Jarod says. "Tell me about this gene manipulation thing they're working on."
"There's not much," Lyle sighs. "But from what I can tell, this company was the leader a few years back in the attempts to manipulate and enhance DNA in unborn fetuses."
"For the purpose of creating 'designer' babies," Jarod realizes. He's worked at a facility like that himself during the course of his pretends. "I thought those attempts failed. They may have been successful in enhancing a particular gene, but that usually adversely affected a different gene. Most times, the children wouldn't even survive. For that very reason, it's incredibly difficult to get funding for those projects."
"Well, it's been rumored that CarMed was on the brink of eliminating all of the side effects. Not only that, but through use of a growth hormone, they were able to dramatically reduce the gestational period."
"I can't believe this," Jarod mutters, almost to himself. "It's all so clear now. It all makes sense."
"To you maybe, but how about bringing it home to us non-genius types," Lyle laughs.
"CarMed Tech is run by Carson Stone. He may just be the administrator, but I think he may be a little more involved. Possibly a doctor. He found a way to successfully manipulate and enhance fetal DNA. Unfortunately, he had no money to complete his research. And no suitable test subject. Your father helped him out on both counts."
Jarod closes his eyes and concentrates even harder on the scenario running through his mind. Now that all the pieces where there, it took no time at all for his mind to assemble them.
"Your father is looking for the *future* of the Centre. I've been more difficult to recapture than they thought. And for some reason, I don't think there have been an overabundance of natural born pretenders in the past few years. So he needs another pretender. And if he can't find one, he'll make one.
"He funded Carson's project and even supplied him with a guinea pig - your sister. The pretender genes are already there in her, just dormant. She's the perfect subject. And I think all he wants in return is the baby."
"You know, I think you're exactly right. During one of our last board meetings, my father was actually pushing for ending the search for you and investing in the future. I can only guess that this is what he meant," Lyle comments. "But what about Carson? What does he get out of all this?"
"Fame. Notariety. Once his process is proven successful, he'll be rich and famous. But I personally think that all Carson wants in return is your sister."
"You don't think he'll give her up?" Lyle asks.
"I doubt that," Jarod shakes his head. "That means we're going to have to go get her. Before it's too late."
To be continued . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG-13
Category - JMPR, MP/L
Spoilers: Pretender Season 4
Summary - An unexpected turn of events threatens Jarod and Miss Parker's newly discovered happiness.
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Chapter 6
* * * * * * * *
10 weeks later
* * * * * * * *
Nurse Lyreen keeps herself busy in the kitchen preparing Miss Parker's meal. She tried to avoid looking at the woman if she could. She seemed so sad and despondent. Nothing could break her from the depression she's settled into.
She watches Miss Parker waddle slowly to the sofa and ease her bulging mass onto the seat. Almost simultaneously, one hand moves to wipe away a tear that always seemed to be present, while the other gently rubbed her stomach.
"How long have I been here?" Miss Parker asks quietly. The nurse is startled, expecting the usual quiet visit. Her young patient rarely spoke.
"A little over 2 months," the nurse tells her. "Ten weeks to be exact. That's how long your treatments were supposed to last."
"Treatments," Miss Parker snorts with obvious doubt. "Is that what Carson is calling this? What is he doing to me anyway?"
"Mrs. Stone . . ." the nurse starts to explain.
"And stop calling me that," Miss Parker yells. "The name is Parker. *Miss* Parker. I don't care what he tells you. That man is not my husband. He's keeping me here against my will and you're perpetuating that."
"Miss Parker, I can't really get into it," the nurse mumbles. She hastens her motions to quickly get the breakfast to her patient. She didn't want to answer questions that shouldn't even be asked.
"Just tell me," Miss Parker pleads. "You won't even have to say much. I'll guess and you tell me if I'm right or wrong. Now, these treatments obviously have something to do with the baby." She pauses and watches the nurse hesitantly nod her head.
"I'm put to sleep and when I wake up, I have an fresh needle mark in my arm. So you're giving me some kind of drug." The nurse nods again and Miss Parker continues. "I'm going to guess it's a growth hormone or something. I seemed to have expanded quite a bit since I've been here. I've never been pregnant before, but I look and feel practically full term." She looks down at her huge belly and cringes slightly as the active child shifts and pinches a nerve.
"When you got here, you were approximately 20 weeks along. That's halfway through your pregnancy. And tomorrow will be your last treatment. The baby's ready now," the nurse says surreptitiously, lowering her voice so no one could overhear.
"What do you mean ready? Are you trying to tell me that I've gone through the last 20 weeks of my pregnancy in half the time? Are you trying to tell me that this baby will be born tomorrow?" Miss Parker asks incredulously.
"I have to go," the nurse whispers. "I've said too much."
"What's going to happen to my baby?" Miss Parker asks frantically.
The nurse doesn't answer. She just looks at Miss Parker sympathetically before practically running out the door.
Miss Parker sits in shock for a few minutes. There was no doubt in her mind the baby was ready. Even though she was only technically about six and a half months along, she looked and felt like she was full term. She wonders briefly how a drug like this could benefit Carson. She wonders what role in this whole thing her father played. She didn't know much more about what's going on than what she told the nurse. But the one thing she knew for certain was that she had to get out of there. They were going to take her baby tomorrow. And she couldn't let that happen.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Jarod!" Lyle yells excitedly, not even caring about the precautions they've taken over the past few months to keep their alliance a secret. He runs into the apartment, only taking the requisite amount of time to ensure the door was closed and locked before rushing into the living room.
"Jarod," he calls again, waking the man up from his nap on the couch. "Wake up. I think I've got it."
"Got what?" Jarod yawns. As he sits up, a stack of papers from a file he was reviewing scatters to the floor.
"I think I know where she is."
Jarod perks up instantly when he hears this news.
"You've found her?" he asks Lyle.
"Not exactly. But I think I've found where she might be." He hands Jarod an article, but can't wait for the man to read it. He rattles off a summary of what it says. "This article is about an annual convention held in Canada by the private medical sector to help solicit funds. It mentions how this year, many of clinics and research facilities seem to be focused on the mysteries of pregnancy and childbirth."
"So if we're going with our assumptions about Carson working for a place like this, it's possible that he, or a representative from whatever facility he's with, was at this conference. Based on those bank records, your father wasn't paying him enough to support an entire facility. So they'd need funding from somewhere else."
"Not just possible," Lyle grins. "It's definite he was there." Lyle points to the picture with the article. A black circle was drawn around an area in the top right.
"What am I looking at?"
"It's hard to see on here. But I had Broots enlarge and digitally enhanced just that area of the photo." He hands Jarod the other picture and waits for his reaction.
"That's Carson," Jarod gasps. "He looks a little different with the blonde hair, but that's him."
"And every one attending had to register and give a name and address of a legitimate clinic or medical research facility," Lyle adds.
"We already know that your father was making those payments to Black Hill Medical and Genetic Research Authority. We checked them out and didn't find anything."
"It doesn't matter. They're not on the list anyway," Lyle tells him. "There is, however, a place called CarMed Tech. They're on the edge of a breakthrough in the gene enhancement and manipulation frontier. And, as it turns out, they're a subsidiary of Black Hill Medical and Genetic Research Authority."
Jarod stands up and starts to pace, trying hard to process all the information Lyle's brought to him. Miss Parker was within their grasps now. He could feel it.
"I think this is it," Jarod admits. "I think we've found her."
He starts to pace a little faster. His mind was already running through a basic SIM of the situation. He had to come up with a way to get in and get her out safely.
"Lyle, tell me what you know so far. I need a little more information. I can't quite get a clear picture of the whole puzzle here," Jarod says. "Tell me about this gene manipulation thing they're working on."
"There's not much," Lyle sighs. "But from what I can tell, this company was the leader a few years back in the attempts to manipulate and enhance DNA in unborn fetuses."
"For the purpose of creating 'designer' babies," Jarod realizes. He's worked at a facility like that himself during the course of his pretends. "I thought those attempts failed. They may have been successful in enhancing a particular gene, but that usually adversely affected a different gene. Most times, the children wouldn't even survive. For that very reason, it's incredibly difficult to get funding for those projects."
"Well, it's been rumored that CarMed was on the brink of eliminating all of the side effects. Not only that, but through use of a growth hormone, they were able to dramatically reduce the gestational period."
"I can't believe this," Jarod mutters, almost to himself. "It's all so clear now. It all makes sense."
"To you maybe, but how about bringing it home to us non-genius types," Lyle laughs.
"CarMed Tech is run by Carson Stone. He may just be the administrator, but I think he may be a little more involved. Possibly a doctor. He found a way to successfully manipulate and enhance fetal DNA. Unfortunately, he had no money to complete his research. And no suitable test subject. Your father helped him out on both counts."
Jarod closes his eyes and concentrates even harder on the scenario running through his mind. Now that all the pieces where there, it took no time at all for his mind to assemble them.
"Your father is looking for the *future* of the Centre. I've been more difficult to recapture than they thought. And for some reason, I don't think there have been an overabundance of natural born pretenders in the past few years. So he needs another pretender. And if he can't find one, he'll make one.
"He funded Carson's project and even supplied him with a guinea pig - your sister. The pretender genes are already there in her, just dormant. She's the perfect subject. And I think all he wants in return is the baby."
"You know, I think you're exactly right. During one of our last board meetings, my father was actually pushing for ending the search for you and investing in the future. I can only guess that this is what he meant," Lyle comments. "But what about Carson? What does he get out of all this?"
"Fame. Notariety. Once his process is proven successful, he'll be rich and famous. But I personally think that all Carson wants in return is your sister."
"You don't think he'll give her up?" Lyle asks.
"I doubt that," Jarod shakes his head. "That means we're going to have to go get her. Before it's too late."
To be continued . . .