Tyler nodded and looked away. "I guess I grew a defective uterus, or maybe... it's just me." Another sigh and a small, sad laugh. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be."
Wyatt covered Tyler's hand with his own. "Don't say that, Tyler," he said. "I'm sorry, I can't imagine what you're going through." He felt a twinge of guilt. He had become pregnant so easily. It hurt to watch Tyler suffer and doubt himself. "Will you try again?"
There was a noticeable hesitation before Tyler nodded. "I get one more chance before I'm cut from the program."
"Do you know what happens... after that?"
"If I don't make it, you mean?" Tyler gave him a sidelong smile. "Well, I can't go back home. Not while the Ranch is classified top secret. That was one of the rules we agreed to, right?" He shook his head. "I'll become a counselor, one of the staff. I've been speaking to Thomas. He's a good guy, and the position pays well. If this program takes off... It's job security."
Tyler was a trained scientist. Counselor was not a bad job, but he was meant for more than this, and they both knew it.
Wyatt squeezed his hand. "Do you want me to go with you during the next treatment, when they try to implant again?"
"They'll allow that?"
"Can't hurt to ask."
Tyler blinked fast, as if overwhelmed by emotion. "Yeah," he said, not quite meeting Wyatt's eyes. "I think I would like that, man. Thanks."
Wyatt nodded. He was going to have a talk with Grayson. He knew he wasn't Tyler's doctor, but Grayson had pioneered some of the techniques, and Wyatt trusted him.
If anyone could make this work, it was Grayson.
Tyler's third and final procedure was scheduled a few days after the memorial services.
Wyatt was as good as his word and held onto Tyler's hand as the sedative took effect. He wasn't allowed in the procedure room, but was given permission to keep his friend company. In the next room over, doctors, nurses and other medical staff prepped for the third and final try.
"They're doing things a little differently," Tyler said, his voice slightly slurred as the medication took hold. "Gonna implant me with a zygote a little further along... Hope it sticks. A couple of 'em at a time."
"I know. Grayson told me. They used to do the same with women, when they had trouble conceiving."
Tyler nodded and blinked heavily. The IV in his arm was clearly kicking in. "I wonder what he'll look like."
"Who will?"
"My baby."
Wyatt's heart skipped a beat. "Beautiful," he said firmly. Half the genes of the fetus was shared by the mother, and Tyler was a beautiful man. High cheekbones and flawless dark skin.
"That's nice," Tyler said. He was definitely drifting off, relaxing back into his hospital bed. "You're a good friend, Wyatt."
"Shush. Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up, and Grayson... He'll take care of you."
He doubted that Tyler was listening to any of this, but his friend nodded all the same. His eyes closed and his face relaxed in sleep.
On cue, one of the nurses came in. "How are we doing?" he asked rhetorically, bent to check Tyler's vitals, and then nodded. He spared a smile for Wyatt. "Tyler will be fine. It's a quick procedure."
"I know. I'll be here." His gaze swept past the nurse's shoulder to the medical room beyond. He caught sight of Grayson, all decked out in a medical cap, gloves and scrubs. Grayson caught Wyatt's eye and winked at him. Something in Wyatt's chest relaxed.
The nurse wheeled a sleeping Tyler away.
Wyatt sat back in his chair, a hand on the bump of his belly. He wasn't a religious man. Not like Tyler, who attended church in the Ranch's tiny chapel every week. But he sent up a thread of hope to whoever or whatever may be listening. Just in case.
Chapter Fifteen
It would be a few weeks until Tyler got his final word. Meanwhile, the world outside continued to fall apart.
The government-run National News channel had practically become a 24/7 live feed of the Lotto House. It was obvious why: Every time Wyatt or someone else tuned to a locally run station, the screen was filled with riots, food shortages and mass suicides as groups of friends or remains of families decided to go out on their own terms, instead of waiting for the end of the line.
It had only taken a flare up of the XX Flu and people had lost hope.
Isolated in the Ranch, Wyatt felt like he lived in a protective bubble. Food was always fresh and plentiful. When he went outside, there was no distant gunfire or smoke from burning trash. The electricity stayed on, and not once did they experience a rolling blackout.
A particularly violent riot flared up in Seattle, and Wyatt wept as he saw the streets he'd grown up on blackened with fire. He had no idea if Clint and Camille were alive. No way to reach out to them at all.
More bad news rolled out from the Lotto House. Like Tyler, there were many men who were still trying to get pregnant. Their grief and frustration overshadowed those who had managed to conceive.
There were more instances of the XX Flu, too.
It seemed to strike randomly, without notice or cause. The scientists were trying a new vaccine, but giving it to the men while they were pregnant was a risk they could not take. Any vaccine would have to be given to the next round of Lottery winners.
If there was even a next round. If the world didn't tear itself apart, first.
I have to do something, Wyatt thought, curling his hand protectively over his stomach.
Wyatt hadn't seen much of Head Counselor "Teddy" since the initial welcome speech. As an administrator, the man seemed more or less content to have his medical professionals and counselors interact with the candidates and mothers without direct oversight. He came down to the communal dining hall for dinner, occasionally, but whenever Wyatt caught sight of him he always seemed to be busy with a laptop or cell phone.
But he had said his door was always open. It was time Wyatt tested that theory.
"Come in!" Teddy called as Wyatt knocked. He looked up from his oak desk, and the smile he gave was surprised and a touch pleased. "Wyatt, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir." He was surprised the man even knew of him.
"It's nice to see you. Have a seat." He gestured to the chair in front of the desk. "What can I do for you?"
Wyatt sat, aware how Teddy's eyes fell to his rounded belly, now visible through the gray uniform. A lot of the counselor's stared like that, in a mix of wonder and hope. He tried not to let it make him uncomfortable.
"Well, sir." Wyatt twisted his fingers in his lap and tried to organize his thoughts. "I've seen the news reports on the rioting... We all have."
"Yes." Teddy gave a small sigh. "I admit, some up above have been tempted to shield that information from you all. Stress is detrimental to pregnancy, or so I've been told. But wiser heads prevailed. Word would get out, no matter what we did. And I've always believed knowledge is power." He looked hard at Wyatt. "Are you worried?"
He shook his head, but that wasn't quite the truth. "A little. But I agree, it is. Knowledge being power, I mean." He was messing this all up. Wyatt took a deep breath to recenter himself. "Why hasn't the public been told of the Ranch and the other stations?" he blurted. "Right now people think there are only a few viable pregnancies, and they're all at the Lotto House. But they need hope... and... I think knowledge can give them that."
Teddy stared across the desk at him in such a way that Wyatt thought he was going to laugh. Then the counselor's face darkened. "Did Grayson put you up to this?"
"What?" Wyatt asked. "No, he doesn't know I'm here." Then, another terrible thought, "You... uh, know that he and I..."
"Of course I do. Doctor Grayson was required to report on any out of the ordinary interaction with the candidates." He snorted. "It's looked down on, but because you two have kept your relationship circumspect, and more importantly, because he is determined to keep you happy and healthy, I haven't stepped in."
Good, because if they tried to take Grayson away from him, Wyatt was going to be a lot less co
operative.
The force behind that thought surprised him. Wyatt pushed it away before he could concentrate too much on it.
"Then what does Grayson have to do with this?" Wyatt demanded.
Again, Teddy gave him a long, hard look. "Tell me straight, Son. Has he discussed revealing the other centers with you?"
"No, I... It's not exactly pillow talk." Wyatt felt color rising to his cheeks, but he pushed on. "And he doesn't like to talk about the riots with me. He thinks it upsets me, but what upsets me more is sitting around like a pampered pet when we might be able to... to help. Somehow. People are suffering out there. They're losing hope."
Teddy blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair. He regarded Wyatt for a moment.
"Either you are a brilliant liar, or this is one hell of a coincidence. But as a matter of fact, revealing the knowledge of the other facilities to the public has been put on the table. It's very likely to happen. I got off a conference call just a few hours ago with the other station directors."
A mix of excitement and nervousness gripped him. "That would be for the best, I think, but.... Oh no," he added. "Does that mean we'll have cameras on site, like the Lotto House?"
"It may, to a lesser extent."
Wyatt didn't like that. He'd been prepared for it, when he'd originally entered the Lottery, but he hadn't looked forward to it. Especially now the program had been running over the last few months and he had seen how invasive the media could be.
"But... what does this have to do with Grayson?" Wyatt asked again.
"Actually, it has to do with you, Wyatt. You see, you're the first."
"The... first?"
"Pregnancy. Most know you were the first to conceive at the Ranch, but you actually beat out the other mothers in all the facilities by a couple days. It's not much, but it's enough to shine a special spotlight on you."
"Oh," Wyatt said quietly, resting back in his chair. He felt somewhat pole-axed. His hand rested on the bump. "Grayson wouldn't like that. The extra attention, I mean. He worries about my stress levels."
"We all do," Teddy agreed, then added when Wyatt made a face, "Not you, specifically, Son. All the mothers. You're carrying precious packages."
Wyatt nodded, trying to take it in. Somehow, with all the coverage on the Lotto House Mothers, no one had ever mentioned a conception date. He hadn't realized he was technically further along than any of those men, either.
"The head directors will make a decision very soon, and in my opinion, they are very likely to agree to let the cat out of the bag. If they do, we're going to have to establish some ground rules: Specifically, the paternity of your fetus must be kept secret. We don't need any taint of favoritism staining our facility."
Even if it was true.
"Of course," Wyatt said, feeling numb.
"As for the media..." Teddy sighed and reached up to rub at the skin between his eyes. "Luckily, there's only so much air-time in the day, and we have the other facilities to buffer some of the attention. I won't allow camera crews to follow you all around, if I have any say in it. But they will want interviews."
"Okay." This was a good thing. It was what Wyatt had wanted—well, not the media scrutiny, but public knowledge of the facilities.
So why was he suddenly so scared?
Chapter Sixteen
The first indication Wyatt had that something big had changed was right after he'd gotten out of his water aerobics class, a towel draped over his shoulder. Some of the other candidates and mothers were clustered around the wide eastern facing windows. The once grandly structured hotel had verandas and viewing areas for guests to enjoy the far Sandia mountains and what used to be the city. The group of men was clustered along one of those verandas, all speaking in hushed undertones.
"What's up?" Wyatt asked, walking over.
One of the other mothers, a quiet man named Daniel, turned to him. "Look for yourself." Then he stepped aside, shaking his head in worry.
His view unimpeded, Wyatt got an eye-full of a legion of RVs and camp trailers all clustered around the far chain-link fence that surrounded the Ranch. Some of the men were out of their vehicles and were wandering back and forth with picket signs in their hands.
He'd heard of no public announcement of the other stations, but if there were people at the fence then the cat was officially out of the bag.
Wyatt swallowed. "Can you see what they're saying?"
"That's just what we were trying to figure out," another candidate said. Like Tyler, he was on his third and last round of implantation. "None of us thought to pack binoculars when we came here. Did you?"
"No." Squinting, Wyatt shielded his eyes against the bright New Mexico sun. The signs were clearly handmade, and while they might be legible up close, from a few football fields away, they were impossible to read.
"Why are they here at all?" Qiang, another mother, asked.
Daniel answered before Wyatt could, "It's obvious, isn't it? Word about the Ranch has leaked out. They have crowds of people like this outside Lotto house. You can see them whenever they do a wide shot. These are only the first. Mark my words, there will be more to come."
Qiang shook his head, but he wasn't disagreeing. "I bet security will lock us down again."
"As long as we aren't quarantined back in our rooms," Wyatt muttered. "We already aren't allowed outside, so I don't see how much more secure they can be."
Daniel was soon proved right. After about an hour, Wyatt wandered back into his room to change to dry clothes. When he came back, he noticed more campers had joined the first outside. Some were pitching tents.
He still couldn't read any of the signs, but their body language spoke volumes. The men had out there seemed excited and aggressive. Desperate. Maybe they were there to protest, maybe they thought they'd have more chances of being picked as candidates themselves if they were close. Maybe they just wanted to get away from the city-states, with the riots becoming out of control.
Either way, it made Wyatt hope the fence was sturdy.
It was no surprise when, that evening, an emergency meeting was called in the conference room.
Teddy took the podium and explained in matter of fact tones that there had been a leak of information. Word of the other stations had gotten out.
Tyler raised his hand and was recognized to speak. "So, are you allowed to say how many other places like this there are?"
The Head Councilor took a moment as if bracing himself. "Ten," he said, "including this Ranch and the Lotto House."
Ten? Wyatt's heart seemed to leap and want to sink at the same time. He never imagined it would be that many. But ten new houses meant many more babies for the generation. It also shined a brighter spotlight on him, considering he was the furthest along than everyone.
Still, if the other compounds were as successful as the Ranch and Lotto house, that meant more than a two hundred pregnancies in this wave alone. It was a small start to rebuild the entire species, but much better than twenty or so he'd known about before today.
He barely listened as Teddy went over the security procedures again. Qiang had guessed right that they would be more locked down than ever, though the increased security would mostly affect the incoming and outgoing supplies the Ranch needed. There be more inspections, and medical personnel and counselors who had visitor privileges would see those temporarily suspended.
The mothers and candidates, who already lived a restricted lifestyle, would not see much outward change with the exception of the new rule that they were not to change clothing in front of an open window. The Ranch was surrounded by anti-drone fields, but paparazzi video cameras had powerful zoom and excellent resolution.
Again, Teddy paused at the podium as if he were gathering his thoughts. "Now that the world knows about you, they are... undoubtedly curious."
Wyatt snorted. Judging from the people camped outside the gates, they were more than just curious.
Teddy continued, "I will not allow media scrutiny
here to reach the heights of the Lotto House, but you should all prepare yourselves to be interviewed. These will likely be brief and done on a voluntary basis." His gaze touched briefly on Wyatt. His participation would likely not be voluntary.
Wyatt resisted the urge to touch his belly, as if seeking comfort. His fingers curled into a fist on his thigh.
I can handle it, he promised himself. Whatever they throw at me, I can do it. For the baby.
Wyatt avoided looking directly into the camera lens, just as he had been warned. Instead, he kept his focus on the interviewer in front of him. It was hard. The red blinking light over the lens had gone from flashing to steady, indicating it was recording. Every moment, every word and blink would be broadcasted across the nation tonight. Would Clint and Camille see? What would they think?
"My name is Wyatt Smith," he said, hoping his voice was steady and that he wasn't betraying the nerves that he felt. "And I was born and raised in Seattle."
His interviewer smiled sympathetically at him, as if he knew that Wyatt was had been so nervous this morning, he had thrown up twice, even though he hadn't had morning sickness in over a month now.
"It's good to meet you, Wyatt," the interviewer said. He was a good looking man, in the too-perfect Hollywood way. So much makeup on his face that all the fine details were erased. "I'm sure the audience watching has many questions about you, now that we know you're here."
Wyatt gave a soft laugh. "Yes, when I got the call after the public Lottery, it was quite the surprise. I'm sure many people out there feel the same."
"Let's talk about that day." The interviewer jumped on that subject just as quickly as Wyatt hoped he would. "Was that your first reaction? Shock?"
"That, and a little bit of wondering if someone was playing a prank on me." There was a slight movement behind the interviewer's shoulder, well out of view of the camera. Grayson. Clad in his white doctor's coat, he gave Wyatt a small smile and a thumbs up. Wyatt found it easier to talk to him rather than the stranger in front of him. Looking at Grayson, it was easier to forget that every mistake and stammer would be recorded for all to see. "But I wanted to be a part of the Lottery so much, that... it wasn't much of a decision, at the end."
A Baby Maybe Page 7