A shuddering cough tore through Madeline Fenoton's chest leaving phlegm on the inside of her mouth. She gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, swirling the last gulp around her mouth to clear out as much of the taste as she could before swallowing it.
Before Maddie gave birth to her daughter Jazz people warned her about the various things that came with children. Sleepless nights, dirty diapers, disappointed faces when you have to tell them that no sweety, you can't only eat ice cream for every meal, it isn't healthy. While Maddie was pregnant she fantasized kicking the people who gave her "advice" smack dab in the nose. Why would anyone want to make a pregnant woman any more worried by telling her those things? Now though, Maddie wished someone had warned her about all of the germs that her sweet little princess would bring home from pre-school.
Maddie didn't normally get sick during flu season. She always had a strong immune system and she made sure to stay current on her vaccines. Maddie's week of sleep-deprived nights caring for an equally sick Jazz wore her immune system down. Not to mention the stress of trying to get the latest Fenton blaster completed in time to leave for the engineering conference just two days away.
At least there was some good news. After a week of fevers and sleepless nights, Jazz had been fever-free for the past two days.
Maddie wished she could say the same thing about herself.
"Here you are Mads!" Jack said, handing her a steaming mug of tea.
Maddie thought that Jack had entirely too much energy for her but she grabbed the tea with a small smile.
"Don't you worry Darling," Jack said. "I'll stay right here with you until you're feeling right as rain again! With my mother's soup recipe and a few days of rest, you'll be feeling better by the end of the week."
Maddie wasn't sure how she ended up with such a kind and loyal man. Jack had the build of a grizzly bear and the personality of a hyperactive golden retriever. Normally Maddie would indulge Jack and let him take care of her. He gets so sad when he isn't able to help his family and friends. This time, Maddie couldn't allow it. Fenton Works was expected to unveil their newest creation at the science expo in two days and with how short money was recently they quite literally couldn't afford not to go.
"Jackie," Maddie's voice came out in a rasp as she put her left hand against Jack's arm. "I'll be fine here."
Jack looked at her with his big blue eyes and sappy smile.
"I'll be fine here alone," Maddie clarified.
The smile slipped off of Jack's face and a worried look replaced it.
"But Mads!"
"No buts," Maddie forced down a cough. "You've got to go to the expo. That's the best way you can take care of me and Jazz right now."
"I can't just leave you and Jazz."
"Jack," Maddie managed the sternest look she could "go."
"Alright," Jack's shoulders slumped. "But you better call me if you feel any worse."
"I will," Maddie said. "Now go pack everything up."
Maddie heard Jack go down to the lab right as her fever broke.
"Ugh," she let out a groan. "It feels like my head is on fire."
-Line Break-
Jack wanted to smile. He wanted to jump up and down and pump his arms in the air. He'd just landed a large contract with a government agency after all. Some government lady named Waller saw what the Fenton Blaster could do and bought their entire stock and ordered more! He tried to tell her that he and Mads were working on getting it to only hurt ghosts and not touch people or property but Waller wanted the Fenton Blasters as is! Maddie would be thrilled! Well, when she wasn't so sick.
Jack's mood dropped again thinking about Maddie being sick and alone and his little Jasmine at home without the usual amount of care he and Mads could give her.
As much as Jack would normally love to stay and socialize with the other scientists there, he needed to get back to his girls.
His stomach grumbled.
Right after he used the bathroom.
Jack meandered down the nearest hallway looking for the bathroom. No signs were pointing towards any and he didn't see any building maps.
He knew there was a bathroom back on the convention floor but the hallway connected to the room Waller took him into to sign the deal didn't seem to have a single one.
Jack's pace picked up as he headed to where he remembered the elevator to be. He pushed the down button and swayed back and forth on his feet as he waited for the elevator to arrive. He should have known that eating ten pounds of cheese dip that morning was a bad idea! The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and Jack bounded inside.
"What floor is the conference room on?" Jack asked himself, staring at the many many buttons. His eyes landed on one labeled B. "B must stand for bathroom!"
Jack pressed the button and the elevator descended. Jack decided that he must have been right when he saw the clearly labeled bathroom right outside the elevator.
After flushing the toilet and washing his hands Jack was ready to get home.
He came to the expo and did exactly what he was supposed to do. His family's business was set for at least the next five years! Now he could go home to his beautiful wife and daughter. He missed them so much that he could almost hear Jazz crying from there.
"Wait a second," Jack said to himself. "Jazzy Pants hasn't sounded that high-pitched since she was a baby baby. And I'm not just imagining that sound!"
Jack pivoted away from the elevator and down the hallway, in the direction the crying was coming from.
The sound got louder as Jack approached a door labeled "Cadmus".
Jack tried the handle.
No luck, the door was locked.
"Well, I can't just leave a baby in there! They could be hurt!"
Jack took a few steps back. He then ran forward, shoving his shoulder against the door. The door flew off the hinges as Jack barreled through.
The crying grew even louder.
Jack set the door back into the frame and looked around.
The room was sterile. It reminded Jack of his and Maddie's basement lab. Metal covered the walls and LED lights bathed the room in a harsh blue light. The crying came from the back right corner of the room. Jack imagined that if robots needed cribs the cribs would look like what he saw in that corner.
Jack walked over to the metal crib and looked down inside of it. While he knew he was likely to find a baby making that sound he couldn't have been prepared to see the small pink child laying against such a harsh background.
The child scrunched up its nose and eyes as it let out pained wails. Its little body shook and its hands balled into fists. The child's black onesie seemed almost too small and Jack had smelled its soiled diaper as soon as he had barged into the room.
"Poor little tyke," Jack said, running two of his large fingers against the child's poof of black hair.
As soon as Jack touched the child it stopped crying and opened its eyes revealing a sparkling blue.
"Who would leave such a sweet little baby here by itself like this?" Jack asked.
He reached into one of the pockets of his jumpsuit. He pushed aside a few vials of ectoplasm and pulled out a small diaper.
"I'm glad I forgot to take these out!" Jack said.
He changed the little boy's diaper, picked him up, and held him in one arm. Jack looked around the room for any identifying information and found a folder lying on a lab table. The folder said "Cadmus B-307" on the front and had the red word "FAILED" stamped directly underneath.
Jack opened the thick folder and flipped to the last page, hoping to find out why this little boy was left alone.
The page read "We are still unable to rapidly age the clone. While it may yet be successful, that success will take many years. Advised to monitor it if or until a fully successful clone is created. If a successful version is created, clone B-307 will be terminated."
Jack sat the folder back down and looked down at the little tyke snuggled up against his arm. Jack frowned.
"That's no good," Jack said. "You know little guy, you kind of look like me, and Maddie's always wanted a little boy. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to meet you!"
Jack looked around the room for anything he could carry the little guy in but didn't find anything. Then he had an idea that would make most child care experts cringe.
"Think you could keep quiet for a few minutes, Buddy?"
The baby gave him a confused look.
"I'll take that as a yes!"
Jack carefully put the baby in the large pocket on his hip, leaving the baby's head out. Jack concealed his head with his arm as he made his way out of the building.
Once Jack was back at the parking lot he pulled the baby out and loaded him into Jazz's old car seat.
"Maddie's just going to love you!"