Chapter 2
Pam and Ralph were going to have a baby. It was a miracle. Even though they had tried for years after marriage, Ralph and Pam could never have a child. Ralph had a son from his first wife, but nothing worked with him and Pam. They tried fertility clinics and saw several doctors. Pam couldn't produce enough viable eggs to conceive a child. They considered adopting for a while, but with the superhero business for a few years and their careers taking the front stage, they finally accepted being childless.
Somehow the regeneration and DNA enhancement had changed something, and Pam was now fertile, and they were pregnant. And not with a normal child, oh no, this child would be exceptional; at least, that is what Barry, Pam's suit, and the child's DNA results indicated. The boy had the DNA enhancement that both Ralph and Pam had, but it also had a few different gene sequences that came from one or both suits that were compatible with the human genome. Barry speculated that the boy might have some superpowers without a suit. He wouldn't have everything a DNA-enhanced human with a suit had, but he may manifest a few. They also weren't sure when the child's powers would be demonstrated. Would the newborn have them immediately upon birth, or would he have to wait until puberty when hormone balances matured? They would have to wait and see.
Pam and Ralph were utterly over the moon, happy with this revelation. Some in the Hero League were not happy. This news put a considerable new question mark in the Hero League community. What if other two-Hero couples had sex with the suits on? Would they also have super babies, or was this just a one-in-a-billion chance? Leave it up to Ralph Hinkley, the First, to have it happen to him. They would have to keep a very close eye on this pregnancy and the child.
Dr. Adams asked Pam to come for examinations and ultrasounds every two weeks. Because the child would be another first for the Hinkley household and the Hero League, the pregnancy and child's development would be tracked closely, limiting the number and duration of Pam's international business trips.
Pam and Ralph announced their pregnancy over the Hero Internet and received thousands of congratulatory emails. Pam and Ralph asked the Heroes not to send baby presents but significantly cherished their thoughts and words of happiness for the new addition to their family and the Hero community.
Ralph and Pam called Kevin, Ralph's son from his first marriage, and told him he would have a new brother. Kevin and Sandy, Kevin's wife, were so happy for the two of them and what joys this would bring to their new lives. Ralph and Pam called Holly, formerly Hathaway, now Crawford, and told her the good news. Holly asked if Pam would give up the suit while pregnant as she did.
Pam explained, "Since the suits are now sentient and have powers to influence some of the wearer's biological functions, the suit can protect the child during pregnancy from anything that might harm it. So, I don't have to give up the suit, but I won't go out on high-stress missions."