*Note: I should've mentioned this earlier but I don't own the Phantom
references (-tear-). Plus, I want to say that, to clear this up, the
reason why the husband and wife are getting a genetically engineered
experimental child is because they cannot conceive without artificial
"means". I added this very important factor (I must have been catatonic
when I wrote the story, to not include such a thing) to the story and
downloaded it again, but for those of you who read it and didn't understand
it, that's for you. Anyway, I am going somewhere with this story (I
promise ^_-). I'm sorry if any of you think that genetically engineering
people is bad or weird. My father and I were just watching a documentary
about it a few days ago, how you can engineer your children and all (well,
in the future), and I too thought it was down right immoral (go with what
God's given you that's what I always say) when I first saw it. But then I
thought, "Well, it would make a somewhat good Phantom story of a experiment
gone horribly wrong..." My mind works in strange ways I know. And I am
interested in being a cytologist/chemist (among other things) someday (-
sigh-). So please, try to bear with me. Your reviews are very much
appreciated indeed! Thanx again!*
*MidnightRain- Hey! I'm glad you liked it! Well, I would tell you about what happens with the mother and Erik, but I believe in the magician's phrase, "I do not divulge my secrets." Don't worry, the answer is coming soon ^_-!
*Opera Ghost Kid- Yes! You do know me from somewhere! I have read several of your stories and poems and reviewed them (excellénte!). Thank you for responding!
*Deirdre of the Sorrows- Yeah, that is true. I like to think of it as Erik's one "personal" flaw (something not created in him) due to frustration. Thank you for reviewing and I will somehow fit that into the story!
*Bubonic Woodchuck- Thank you for reviewing! I have to read some of your stuff still, but I'm sure it's tres bien!
*Basil- I'd like to think that my story was good enough to make someone beg, but I won't make you (~_^)!
~Golly gee willikers Batman! That was loooong! Okay, here's the story.~
"Is she awake?"
"I can't tell sir."
"Well, don't wake her! I'm not paying you to be a nuisance!"
"Wait, I think she's coming to..."
It had been several weeks since she was last here. But it didn't look anything like the lavish office she remembered. Now she was laying in a cold, white, sterile operating room with the distant voices of her husband reverberating around her. She felt as if she wasn't there, like she was listening from some far off place. But then the voices became more distinct and she could make out the powerful form of her husband and the blurry white form of the nurse.
He pushed the male nurse aside and looked quite close into her face. "Annalise? Annalise, please speak!"
She groaned once in acknowledgement.
"Annalise! I am so happy! We thought you were going into a coma for the past few hours. But, I've been here the whole time! I said to those non- believers 'No, she'll make it! I won't let her die!'"
Annalise could clearly see her husband's face now and she was startled to see that it was worn with exhaustion and tears.
"Raphael... Don't cry..." She said weakly.
But this simple request only made the grown man cry harder. "Don't ask me to do that! It is impossible! But darling, these are tears of joy!" He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You, and our son, have survived this revolutionary operation!"
Annalise gasped with astonishment. "Our son?... He... Is..."
"Yes! He is!"
"Oh Raphael!"
And presently she began to cry with him. "I can't believe I'm pregnant!" She looked down at her belly and rubbed it gently, "I love you Erik, my baby boy."
Raphael kissed her stomach and looked up at her. She could only giggle with happiness. But then she stopped so abruptly that the husband unintentionally glanced at her heart monitor.
"What happened to me? Why was I nearly comatose? Did something happen to Erik?"
The husband sighed in spite of himself. "I cannot be sure of what happened, they would not let me be with you in the operation room, despite my incessant kicking and screaming. Finally they brought you out, and it appeared that you were having trouble breathing and your heartbeat was weak. The threat that I would sue them out of their minds if anything happened to you was enough encouragement for them to bring you back."
"So... You do not know what happened?"
"No. I'm sorry."
She tried to think back. She had been there the entire time! Surely she could remember something!
"I will ask the doctor... He will know..." She said, determined.
"I will get him now." Raphael said and left the room.
She covered herself with the threadbare blankets that the hospital provided. She suddenly felt so cold... What if something had happened to Erik? But the doctor said that nothing would... Would he lie so flatly to such a hopeful person?
She heard resolute footsteps coming towards her room. She knew it would be Raphael back with the doctor.
"Here he is, Annalise." Raphael said to her, almost scowling at the doctor.
She looked up at the doctor she had seen in the office. He appeared to be very irritated by the whole situation, or just Raphael, but sighed, resigned, and said, "What can I do for you Mrs. Siren?"
She didn't want to make eye contact with him to avoid being a nuisance, but she thought, "I am the one performing this 'revolutionary operation'."
"Yes, doctor, I summoned you because I want to know what happened to make me lose consciousness."
The doctor looked down upon her and replied, "You lost blood in the operation. The lack of blood caused you to have a 'semi-stroke'. But we collected blood from our banks and restored you. You were in a coma for a few hours, but it appears you are in fine condition now."
"What about the baby."
"The baby. Well, Mrs. Siren, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but. We cannot be sure of the baby's condition at this moment. However, either the blood transfusion, the lack of oxygen, or the coma could have contributed to birth deformities. It is too early in the baby's state to perform a sonogram so all we can do now is pray."
Annalise looked up at the doctor with disbelief and tears welling in her eyes. But those tears would just not fall. Deep down she had always known something like this would happen. But she had always remained hopeful that her intuition would be wrong for once.
Raphael looked equally disappointed, and angry. "You said nothing would happen! You said that he would be all right! What has happened to the sincerity of a spoken word?! Especially from a doctor!" Raphael raved.
"Please, don't." Annalise pleaded.
"No! This is my wife AND child I am talking about here! I don't want to hear about mistakes! NO MISTAKES! You have ruined our child and you will pay for this, one way or another, by thunder!"
The doctor only continued to stare as the tall, strong, and infuriated husband accosted him. Then, when all Raphael could do was breath heavily through clenched teeth, the doctor said, "We weren't counting on the lack of blood sir. Usually we take extra precaution when dealing with blood and infants."
Raphael, who was now leaning against the side of his wife's bed, glanced up at the doctor with flickering eyes. "Now you listen here DOCTOR, if you are worthy of that title! This is a 'revolutionary' experiment and if you want everything to go smoothly then you should take more precautions than that is expected for such a predicament. Are you satisfied that your 'experiment' has failed? This will RUIN YOU! You AND your practice!" Raphael turned round and avoided his wife's gaze. Apparently she soothed him, and he did not want to be pacified at that moment.
"Excuse me sir. The experiment has not yet failed if the child lives. And I believe it will!" The doctor was beginning to get a little more upset every moment, and he was turning a surprising shade of crimson around the cheeks at the ceaseless insults.
"What is the use of it living at all if it has deformities? You know our society! They will claim it to be a freak of nature, a creature of science not worthy of living amongst the general population!"
"It doesn't need their approval. It only needs your love. The baby will be fine if you love it."
Annalise was cowering at the bickering and finally looked up at the doctor's well-chosen and soft words. "I will love it doctor." She said distinctly. "He is my baby, my husband's as well. He will be all I will ever have to care for."
Raphael looked at his wife and saw her condition, tears streaming down her pale face and an indescribable sorrow mounted around her eyes. He thought to himself, "This isn't worth it! Fighting with a doctor over something that is too late to change. If my wife is willing to love him, then I will too if it makes her happy."
Raphael then looked at the doctor. "I'm sorry, I was upset. You did everything you could possibly do for her and Erik and that's all I can expect." He walked over and shook the doctor's hand.
The doctor nodded. "I understand Mr. Siren. All fathers would be upset. I will leave you two alone now, I have work to do." The doctor left the room and closed the door silently.
"Annalise, I can't believe I put you through that."
"It is alright darling, but I don't know if Erik will forgive you..." She tried to withhold a believable smile, but it was not going to last. She let a tear drop, knowing how much Raphael was looking forward to a perfect baby boy.
"I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to me. Won't you forgive me Erik?" Raphael said to his wife's belly, trying to lighten the aura of the room.
"Well," She said, petting her stomach, "We'll just have to wait and see..."
*MidnightRain- Hey! I'm glad you liked it! Well, I would tell you about what happens with the mother and Erik, but I believe in the magician's phrase, "I do not divulge my secrets." Don't worry, the answer is coming soon ^_-!
*Opera Ghost Kid- Yes! You do know me from somewhere! I have read several of your stories and poems and reviewed them (excellénte!). Thank you for responding!
*Deirdre of the Sorrows- Yeah, that is true. I like to think of it as Erik's one "personal" flaw (something not created in him) due to frustration. Thank you for reviewing and I will somehow fit that into the story!
*Bubonic Woodchuck- Thank you for reviewing! I have to read some of your stuff still, but I'm sure it's tres bien!
*Basil- I'd like to think that my story was good enough to make someone beg, but I won't make you (~_^)!
~Golly gee willikers Batman! That was loooong! Okay, here's the story.~
"Is she awake?"
"I can't tell sir."
"Well, don't wake her! I'm not paying you to be a nuisance!"
"Wait, I think she's coming to..."
It had been several weeks since she was last here. But it didn't look anything like the lavish office she remembered. Now she was laying in a cold, white, sterile operating room with the distant voices of her husband reverberating around her. She felt as if she wasn't there, like she was listening from some far off place. But then the voices became more distinct and she could make out the powerful form of her husband and the blurry white form of the nurse.
He pushed the male nurse aside and looked quite close into her face. "Annalise? Annalise, please speak!"
She groaned once in acknowledgement.
"Annalise! I am so happy! We thought you were going into a coma for the past few hours. But, I've been here the whole time! I said to those non- believers 'No, she'll make it! I won't let her die!'"
Annalise could clearly see her husband's face now and she was startled to see that it was worn with exhaustion and tears.
"Raphael... Don't cry..." She said weakly.
But this simple request only made the grown man cry harder. "Don't ask me to do that! It is impossible! But darling, these are tears of joy!" He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You, and our son, have survived this revolutionary operation!"
Annalise gasped with astonishment. "Our son?... He... Is..."
"Yes! He is!"
"Oh Raphael!"
And presently she began to cry with him. "I can't believe I'm pregnant!" She looked down at her belly and rubbed it gently, "I love you Erik, my baby boy."
Raphael kissed her stomach and looked up at her. She could only giggle with happiness. But then she stopped so abruptly that the husband unintentionally glanced at her heart monitor.
"What happened to me? Why was I nearly comatose? Did something happen to Erik?"
The husband sighed in spite of himself. "I cannot be sure of what happened, they would not let me be with you in the operation room, despite my incessant kicking and screaming. Finally they brought you out, and it appeared that you were having trouble breathing and your heartbeat was weak. The threat that I would sue them out of their minds if anything happened to you was enough encouragement for them to bring you back."
"So... You do not know what happened?"
"No. I'm sorry."
She tried to think back. She had been there the entire time! Surely she could remember something!
"I will ask the doctor... He will know..." She said, determined.
"I will get him now." Raphael said and left the room.
She covered herself with the threadbare blankets that the hospital provided. She suddenly felt so cold... What if something had happened to Erik? But the doctor said that nothing would... Would he lie so flatly to such a hopeful person?
She heard resolute footsteps coming towards her room. She knew it would be Raphael back with the doctor.
"Here he is, Annalise." Raphael said to her, almost scowling at the doctor.
She looked up at the doctor she had seen in the office. He appeared to be very irritated by the whole situation, or just Raphael, but sighed, resigned, and said, "What can I do for you Mrs. Siren?"
She didn't want to make eye contact with him to avoid being a nuisance, but she thought, "I am the one performing this 'revolutionary operation'."
"Yes, doctor, I summoned you because I want to know what happened to make me lose consciousness."
The doctor looked down upon her and replied, "You lost blood in the operation. The lack of blood caused you to have a 'semi-stroke'. But we collected blood from our banks and restored you. You were in a coma for a few hours, but it appears you are in fine condition now."
"What about the baby."
"The baby. Well, Mrs. Siren, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but. We cannot be sure of the baby's condition at this moment. However, either the blood transfusion, the lack of oxygen, or the coma could have contributed to birth deformities. It is too early in the baby's state to perform a sonogram so all we can do now is pray."
Annalise looked up at the doctor with disbelief and tears welling in her eyes. But those tears would just not fall. Deep down she had always known something like this would happen. But she had always remained hopeful that her intuition would be wrong for once.
Raphael looked equally disappointed, and angry. "You said nothing would happen! You said that he would be all right! What has happened to the sincerity of a spoken word?! Especially from a doctor!" Raphael raved.
"Please, don't." Annalise pleaded.
"No! This is my wife AND child I am talking about here! I don't want to hear about mistakes! NO MISTAKES! You have ruined our child and you will pay for this, one way or another, by thunder!"
The doctor only continued to stare as the tall, strong, and infuriated husband accosted him. Then, when all Raphael could do was breath heavily through clenched teeth, the doctor said, "We weren't counting on the lack of blood sir. Usually we take extra precaution when dealing with blood and infants."
Raphael, who was now leaning against the side of his wife's bed, glanced up at the doctor with flickering eyes. "Now you listen here DOCTOR, if you are worthy of that title! This is a 'revolutionary' experiment and if you want everything to go smoothly then you should take more precautions than that is expected for such a predicament. Are you satisfied that your 'experiment' has failed? This will RUIN YOU! You AND your practice!" Raphael turned round and avoided his wife's gaze. Apparently she soothed him, and he did not want to be pacified at that moment.
"Excuse me sir. The experiment has not yet failed if the child lives. And I believe it will!" The doctor was beginning to get a little more upset every moment, and he was turning a surprising shade of crimson around the cheeks at the ceaseless insults.
"What is the use of it living at all if it has deformities? You know our society! They will claim it to be a freak of nature, a creature of science not worthy of living amongst the general population!"
"It doesn't need their approval. It only needs your love. The baby will be fine if you love it."
Annalise was cowering at the bickering and finally looked up at the doctor's well-chosen and soft words. "I will love it doctor." She said distinctly. "He is my baby, my husband's as well. He will be all I will ever have to care for."
Raphael looked at his wife and saw her condition, tears streaming down her pale face and an indescribable sorrow mounted around her eyes. He thought to himself, "This isn't worth it! Fighting with a doctor over something that is too late to change. If my wife is willing to love him, then I will too if it makes her happy."
Raphael then looked at the doctor. "I'm sorry, I was upset. You did everything you could possibly do for her and Erik and that's all I can expect." He walked over and shook the doctor's hand.
The doctor nodded. "I understand Mr. Siren. All fathers would be upset. I will leave you two alone now, I have work to do." The doctor left the room and closed the door silently.
"Annalise, I can't believe I put you through that."
"It is alright darling, but I don't know if Erik will forgive you..." She tried to withhold a believable smile, but it was not going to last. She let a tear drop, knowing how much Raphael was looking forward to a perfect baby boy.
"I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to me. Won't you forgive me Erik?" Raphael said to his wife's belly, trying to lighten the aura of the room.
"Well," She said, petting her stomach, "We'll just have to wait and see..."