CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
New England. . .
We turn to the descendants of the survivors in New England and particularly two, Charles and Margaret. Charles had risen high in the Air Force, now being a Major. He had taken his foster father's last name and he and Margaret were married in The Blessed Virgin's Church in Scotland where he and Margaret along with several other members of the squadron went to see an international air show.
This time, he thought, we should have a baby, but it did not happen and even though humanly possible, he could wait until he was thirty, Charles did not want to so when he saw the advertisement in the New England paper, he decided to give them a call.
"NuGenesis, We Bring Hope to the Hopeless, Miss Crayson speaking." The voice was pleasant, eloquent, and young.
Charles explained about their difficulty in conceiving and that they had tried everything, which indeed they had. The tests showed that he had hardly any working sperm and Margaret's ovaries were too immature. Now he wondered about this. Usually it was either one of the other and he had not had mumps, and Margaret did have periods, so there was nothing wrong in that department.
"I'll set you up with an appointment, next year."
"Next year?" asked Charles, "I'm in the Air Force. We don't know whether we will be here next year. Anything sooner? I'm willing to pay anything!"
He did not tell her that the reason he had enough was neither he nor Margaret could buy a house. They had enough money, but somehow the deal fell through. Perhaps it was because he could not produce a birth certificate and they would not accept his marriage certificate because it was not American. Come to think of it, when they did try to marry in their State, they could not show they were actually citizens. The Air force, needing fighting men accepted not only citizens, but residential aliens but apparently the Justice of the Peace was afraid that Margaret or him was trying to marry to stay in the country.
So in essence, they were in limbo.
The receptionist set up an appointment for the next week and for Charles and Margaret that was the longest week in their lives.
Nu Genesis was a new building, the inside walls of the waiting room filled with their successes. Hundreds of baby pictures and proud mothers and dads stood out for all to see. The receptionist, a tall blonde young girl showed them in.
The doctor was kind, and so was the nurse. They made them feel at home and insisted that they stay here during the tests.
"We will have to draw some blood from both of you," said the nurse, "in case you might be allergic to each other." She did so and put the samples in two test tubes.
Meanwhile the doctor asked Margaret to put on the white hospital gown and called the nurse in while another doctor took Charles to another examining room..
An hour later, he said, "You're insides are fine, Mrs. —. Now I want to know about your periods. Have they been regular? Any sign of headaches? Any breast tenderness during that time? No?" He whispered to the nurse. "No sign of ovulation. We will have to administer drugs."
At the same time, another doctor examined Charles, asked him to submit a sample, and asked him very delicately about his sex life. Was it regular? Did he have an erection to which Charles replied he had difficulty and he was a young man and this doctor told his nurse that they would have to administer drugs as separate rooms would not do.
The receptionist came into the laboratory and took something out of her pocket. Carefully opening the tubes, she took out a minute sample and placed them in glass and after resealing the tubes, when back to her work, and made a phone call.
Half an hour later, just as the mail usually came, a man entered. "Delivery for Nu Genesis Clinic," he said, taking the two samples and giving the receptionist a parcel.
She smiled and waited until he left. It would not take long for all her contact had to do was to wait for a van. The Centre always kept a mobile unit disguised as a TB van.
A few minute later the man returned. :"Oh you forgot to give me the correct change. It was $2.24 not $2.14."
"Sorry," said the receptionist handing him a dime.
"Thanks, Miss." He bent down and whispered to her. "They're those so called New Species. Do you know what you are to do?"
"Yes," she whispered back, "replace the drugs given to them with those in the package. I see you gave me different colors and shapes. That will take care of any substitution."
"It will reduce the effect of that specific drug that calms them down. According to the test, it was a pure formula. The Centre found out that it is best putting it gradually into their food and medicine. I suggest you give them a drink of orange juice afterwards. It contains the correct amount."
She waited until he left and for the doctor to make out the prescriptions. The tests for Charles and Margaret both took quite some time. After that, a girl showed them to their room. It was a quiet room, conducive for conception. Peaceful romantic music played through a speaker. The new fangled television set in color, no less, had a brochure with certain programs circled, programs featuring old sentimental movies. There was a Parents Magazine on the night stand and the wallpaper was pink with pictures of babies and bunny rabbits.
Even the most jaded could not fail to be moved by the atmosphere. Charles and Margaret fortified by the pill regimen and the diet specially ordered by the fertility clinic, spent an hour in making love, their minds thinking of how his son would enter the air force, and hers how he would meet a nice girl and she would have grandchildren.
Of course, failure happened and it was not until months later that Margaret conceived. The staff insisted that they stay there. Conceptions were common, but the carry through part was the hardest. Many of the women spent the whole nine months in bed, physical therapists exercising their legs and arms to keep their muscles in tune, electrodes (a novel concept) to make sure other parts of their bodies did not mortify.
And at last, Margaret did conceive. When the doctor decided she could have some exercise, they had her walk to the hallway and back again for this was back in the 1950s and women did not jump through hoops during a pregnancy. The months passed and then came the blessed moment. Margaret's water broke during the night.
"The baby's coming," she whispered to her husband.
"Good, I'll close the door."
They had planned this all along. For some reason, both were afraid that there was an unseen force, the steps in the middle of the night, the door creaking open and then closing when they awoke, voices whispering in the night and being silent when they approached.
Margaret endured a long delivery and then suddenly the baby was there. She was amazed that the last hour was that easy and the baby was so quiet. She saw Charles's face, saw him shake his head. She stifled a little cry as she look at the baby.
"He's beautiful!"
"Let's see if he's all right," said the nurse and took the baby. Margaret watched as the nurse bent over the infant, and the doctor took something that he ran over the baby's head. Something made her uneasy, but they assured her that the baby was all right.
"He's having difficulty breathing but that is to be expected for a premie," said the doctor.
However it was not all right. Two nights later while the doctors were attending a woman with a high risk pregnancy, the baby named Jarod died during the night. Charles took his wife, bundled the baby up and they all left during the night.
Nurse watched them as they drove off and prayed that they would get away.
New England. . .
We turn to the descendants of the survivors in New England and particularly two, Charles and Margaret. Charles had risen high in the Air Force, now being a Major. He had taken his foster father's last name and he and Margaret were married in The Blessed Virgin's Church in Scotland where he and Margaret along with several other members of the squadron went to see an international air show.
This time, he thought, we should have a baby, but it did not happen and even though humanly possible, he could wait until he was thirty, Charles did not want to so when he saw the advertisement in the New England paper, he decided to give them a call.
"NuGenesis, We Bring Hope to the Hopeless, Miss Crayson speaking." The voice was pleasant, eloquent, and young.
Charles explained about their difficulty in conceiving and that they had tried everything, which indeed they had. The tests showed that he had hardly any working sperm and Margaret's ovaries were too immature. Now he wondered about this. Usually it was either one of the other and he had not had mumps, and Margaret did have periods, so there was nothing wrong in that department.
"I'll set you up with an appointment, next year."
"Next year?" asked Charles, "I'm in the Air Force. We don't know whether we will be here next year. Anything sooner? I'm willing to pay anything!"
He did not tell her that the reason he had enough was neither he nor Margaret could buy a house. They had enough money, but somehow the deal fell through. Perhaps it was because he could not produce a birth certificate and they would not accept his marriage certificate because it was not American. Come to think of it, when they did try to marry in their State, they could not show they were actually citizens. The Air force, needing fighting men accepted not only citizens, but residential aliens but apparently the Justice of the Peace was afraid that Margaret or him was trying to marry to stay in the country.
So in essence, they were in limbo.
The receptionist set up an appointment for the next week and for Charles and Margaret that was the longest week in their lives.
Nu Genesis was a new building, the inside walls of the waiting room filled with their successes. Hundreds of baby pictures and proud mothers and dads stood out for all to see. The receptionist, a tall blonde young girl showed them in.
The doctor was kind, and so was the nurse. They made them feel at home and insisted that they stay here during the tests.
"We will have to draw some blood from both of you," said the nurse, "in case you might be allergic to each other." She did so and put the samples in two test tubes.
Meanwhile the doctor asked Margaret to put on the white hospital gown and called the nurse in while another doctor took Charles to another examining room..
An hour later, he said, "You're insides are fine, Mrs. —. Now I want to know about your periods. Have they been regular? Any sign of headaches? Any breast tenderness during that time? No?" He whispered to the nurse. "No sign of ovulation. We will have to administer drugs."
At the same time, another doctor examined Charles, asked him to submit a sample, and asked him very delicately about his sex life. Was it regular? Did he have an erection to which Charles replied he had difficulty and he was a young man and this doctor told his nurse that they would have to administer drugs as separate rooms would not do.
The receptionist came into the laboratory and took something out of her pocket. Carefully opening the tubes, she took out a minute sample and placed them in glass and after resealing the tubes, when back to her work, and made a phone call.
Half an hour later, just as the mail usually came, a man entered. "Delivery for Nu Genesis Clinic," he said, taking the two samples and giving the receptionist a parcel.
She smiled and waited until he left. It would not take long for all her contact had to do was to wait for a van. The Centre always kept a mobile unit disguised as a TB van.
A few minute later the man returned. :"Oh you forgot to give me the correct change. It was $2.24 not $2.14."
"Sorry," said the receptionist handing him a dime.
"Thanks, Miss." He bent down and whispered to her. "They're those so called New Species. Do you know what you are to do?"
"Yes," she whispered back, "replace the drugs given to them with those in the package. I see you gave me different colors and shapes. That will take care of any substitution."
"It will reduce the effect of that specific drug that calms them down. According to the test, it was a pure formula. The Centre found out that it is best putting it gradually into their food and medicine. I suggest you give them a drink of orange juice afterwards. It contains the correct amount."
She waited until he left and for the doctor to make out the prescriptions. The tests for Charles and Margaret both took quite some time. After that, a girl showed them to their room. It was a quiet room, conducive for conception. Peaceful romantic music played through a speaker. The new fangled television set in color, no less, had a brochure with certain programs circled, programs featuring old sentimental movies. There was a Parents Magazine on the night stand and the wallpaper was pink with pictures of babies and bunny rabbits.
Even the most jaded could not fail to be moved by the atmosphere. Charles and Margaret fortified by the pill regimen and the diet specially ordered by the fertility clinic, spent an hour in making love, their minds thinking of how his son would enter the air force, and hers how he would meet a nice girl and she would have grandchildren.
Of course, failure happened and it was not until months later that Margaret conceived. The staff insisted that they stay there. Conceptions were common, but the carry through part was the hardest. Many of the women spent the whole nine months in bed, physical therapists exercising their legs and arms to keep their muscles in tune, electrodes (a novel concept) to make sure other parts of their bodies did not mortify.
And at last, Margaret did conceive. When the doctor decided she could have some exercise, they had her walk to the hallway and back again for this was back in the 1950s and women did not jump through hoops during a pregnancy. The months passed and then came the blessed moment. Margaret's water broke during the night.
"The baby's coming," she whispered to her husband.
"Good, I'll close the door."
They had planned this all along. For some reason, both were afraid that there was an unseen force, the steps in the middle of the night, the door creaking open and then closing when they awoke, voices whispering in the night and being silent when they approached.
Margaret endured a long delivery and then suddenly the baby was there. She was amazed that the last hour was that easy and the baby was so quiet. She saw Charles's face, saw him shake his head. She stifled a little cry as she look at the baby.
"He's beautiful!"
"Let's see if he's all right," said the nurse and took the baby. Margaret watched as the nurse bent over the infant, and the doctor took something that he ran over the baby's head. Something made her uneasy, but they assured her that the baby was all right.
"He's having difficulty breathing but that is to be expected for a premie," said the doctor.
However it was not all right. Two nights later while the doctors were attending a woman with a high risk pregnancy, the baby named Jarod died during the night. Charles took his wife, bundled the baby up and they all left during the night.
Nurse watched them as they drove off and prayed that they would get away.