"Do you have any kids?" I blurted out.
She grinned. "Yes. I have four kids and three grandbabies."
Dr. Green would sporadically mention having kids but never said their names.
"What do they do?"
"Our oldest he is a financial person in New York. Our daughter is a nurse. The next son is an electrician. Then the youngest is a mechanic. We joke that we have our bases covered if we need anything."
She laughed. Beth's laugh was light and made me smile.
"What was it like having a full house?"
"Never a dull moment, that's for sure. The boys would start wrestling, and someone would ask how our daughter handled it. Then I'd tell them that she held her own. When she was pissed off enough, she would hit them too. Even when she started to date, her brothers would laugh, saying they felt bad for the guy who tried to mistreat her. With them being gone, the house is tranquil."
Beth stroked the top of my head.
"It was just you and Sawyer, wasn't it?"
I nodded. Beth shook her head.
"Melanie wanted to have a big family. It's so sad what happened."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who's Melanie?"
"Dr. Vodola's ex-wife. Sawyer's mom."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Dr. Vodola told us that Melanie just got up and left them one day. I didn't believe it, honestly. Sawyer was her whole life. I still remember when she found out she was pregnant with him. Melanie was always glowing. Melanie didn't have a family; most had died, and she was an only child. I loved helping her during her pregnancy."
"What happened?"
Beth shrugged and shook her head as her face fell. "Just like I said. Dr. Vodola just came into work one day and said that she was gone. He never talked about a divorce or where she went. It was like poof. She never existed. I know Melanie was upset about how much time he was spending away from the family, but I never thought she'd leave Sawyer."
"What did she look like?"
Her eyebrows drew into each other.
"Don't you all have pictures at the house?"
I shook my head. She pulled out her phone.
"I'll have to go online; it's been probably fifteen years at this point, but there has to be one saved somewhere."
As she was scrolling, my heart raced. I was going to see the woman that I chased away, the woman that left her child in the hands of Dr. Vodola. Finally, Beth handed me her phone. It was a picture of her, Dr. Green, Dr. Vodola, and a woman with brown hair. There was less grey in all of their hairs back then, but I could tell it was them. They all had smiling faces as they were sitting around a table at some restaurant. I held the phone in both hands as I stared at the screen. Dr. Vodola had a grin on his face with his arm draped over the woman's shoulders.
"Sawyer looks a little like her." My voice came out softly.
"Does he talk about his mom?"
I shook my head. "Never."
"Poor thing."
As I stared at the woman, she seemed familiar. Those eyes seemed etched into my brain. I narrowed my eyes as I used my fingers to make the image bigger.
"I feel like I've seen her before."
"Probably because Sawyer looks more like his mom than his dad."
"Maybe…"
I handed her the phone back.
"I thought since your cough is long gone that we would take a field trip to the food store so that we could stock up that fridge of yours. What do you think? We'll call it a real-life experience field trip."
I laughed. "If it gets me out of this building, I'm up for anything."
"Go put your shoes on. It'll be our little secret."
I didn't wait for her to change her mind. I slipped on my sneakers. The sweatpants flared out slightly, covering the tops of them. I threw on my coat that sat draped over the chair's back on top of my long sleeve shirt. I followed Beth out of the room and down the hall.
Dr. Green was patting down the band-aid. He put on my bicep then threw the wrapper into the trashcan in the corner. His tablet was on the counter with notes of this visit. He said somehow it looked like my immune system was doing better but still wasn't entirely back to my regular rate.
"You look a lot better."
"Does that mean I can go back to school?"
Dr. Green raised an eyebrow as one corner of his lips curled up.
"Are you not enjoying time with my wife?"
"I am, but…"
My voice trailed off. I'd been in here a month or so, and it was hard to keep track of time. I missed Christmas and New Years' with Sawyer. I'd read the few books I had twice. I could tell you the number of tiles on the ceiling in the hall. Or even the number of steps from my room to the lab and cafeteria.
"I'm only joking. I'd love to say that you're going back, but honestly, I can't promise anything right now."
Dr. Green leaned against the counter.
"Would you like to meet someone?" Dr. Green asked randomly as his hands were in his lab coat pockets.
"Sure?"
"Get dressed, then follow me."
He closed the door. Quickly I threw the robe aside and put my clothes back on. Straightening the bottom of my sweater over my jeans I opened the door to see Dr. Green just standing off to the side. He smiled and continued down the hall. Dr. Green turned into another room, and I nearly passed him. We were in a small room that had a crib. Arching my neck, I tried to see around him. Dr. Vodola was in the room, scribbling on his tablet. I got to the dark crib to see a tiny baby wrapped up with one small blue cap on his head. My chest swelled.
"Is this a clone too?" I asked, my voice barely came out.
Dr. Green nodded. "The second one to have ever survived."
There was another one. I wasn't the only one any longer. I reached out to touch the chubby cheek, and his dark blue eyes opened at me. A gummy mouth opened.
"He started to come to life a little before you went into the hospital. So, he's nearly three months old now. We would have someone take him home, but we decided to keep him here a little longer. We're doing a conference later this week about him."
The baby reached out and wrapped his tiny fingers around one of mine. Had I seen a baby in person before? His hand was warm, and he squirmed.
"He's so little."
The scientists in the room chuckled.
Dr. Green responded. "You were too at one point."
Was this child going to go through the same life that I went through? He had no idea what was in store for him. He was so innocent and unaware. He was so tiny, and to think that he would have to live through these big expectations seemed unreal. I felt terrible for him as he wiggled.
"What's his name?"
"Adam."
I nodded.
"We think we've finally tapped into the key components to have healthy clones." Dr. Vodola spoke up, and I hadn't even noticed that he was in the room.
How many more would there be out there?
11
Sawyer
In my physics class, my teacher fiddled with the computer to get the news to project onto the screen. I knew what she was going to put on. I heard many projectors in the school were going to be broadcasting the historical event. My dad's company was going to be making some big announcement. Not that I knew what it was. I only lived with the guy. The teacher let out a squeal. On the screen, there was a long table with microphones in front of a row of people. In the middle was my dad. Dr. Green was two people down with Madeline between the two. The air caught in my throat.
I hadn't seen Madeline since she was in the hospital. She had gotten some of the color back in those cheeks. The dark circles under her eyes were fainter but still there. I wondered how she was sleeping. Were the nightmares bad? How was she dealing with them? Madeline's hair had her hair tied back, and she was wearing a sweater. Madeline had her hands folded on the top of the table. Even though the whole table was on screen, my eyes watched as her fingers twitched.
My dad fixed his glasses and tapped the microphone.
Flashes were going the entire time my father spoke. My stomach dropped. I knew about the clone, but the announcement still surprised me. Had it survived? He hasn't talked about it for months.
A screen turned on behind them, revealing a baby. A chubby face filled the screen, and I sat up. The baby laughed.
"This is Adam. The second successful clone!" his whole face lit up. "We will start taking questions."
The teacher turned to look at me with a smile on her face.
"That's exciting! Did you know Sawyer?"
I only nodded as I watched Madeline turn to look at the baby. She didn't look surprised. Madeline knew about it, but for how long? Had she met Adam? My dad had a new experiment. Why couldn't he let Madeline come back home? I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Madeline looks good."
It was Justin. All I could do was nod my head. Was I ever going to see her again outside of a screen?
Dad came home alone that night. He was beaming ear to ear as he busted through the door. I was at the table, trying to shove the bowl of cereal into my mouth before he started to talk.
"Did you see the news?"
Too late.
I nodded. "Yup, they played it at school."
"True history in the making. I'm so glad that your school understands that."
My dad was opening the fridge and pulled out some chicken thing he made the other night. My cereal was more appealing than the strong scent that came as soon as he opened the Tupperware.
"So, who is taking Adam home to raise?"
My dad shook his head.
"No one. There are a couple of nurses taking turns watching him at the center. He'll eventually have a room like Madeline."
I got up from the table and poured the rest of my cereal out.
"So, Madeline is never coming home?" I whispered.
"Not after you announced that you love her." My dad scuffed and put the food into the microwave. "The only time you'll see her again is on TV like you did today."
"You're punishing her because of what I said?" my voice grew more assertive.
My face scrunched, and my muscles stiffened.
"Her health is still up in the air, which is the biggest reason why she is not out. Her health does matter to me. However, your feelings don't help."
"I swear the second I graduate high school, I'm out of here," I growled.
I grabbed my keys and stormed out the front door before he could say anything else. I bolted out of my driveway, causing my tires to scream. I drove out of the neighborhood and turned the music on louder. I wanted to drown out my thoughts. Finally, I turned into Ricky's driveway behind his car. He was home for the week. His grandfather had surgery, so he came home to visit. My hands clenched the steering wheel. I took deep breaths, causing my whole chest to swell, then released the air. Repeating those steps over and over did not stop my spinning head. I jumped when there was a knock on my window. Ricky was bent over to look through the window with a raised eyebrow. I turned the music down and lowered the window.
"Hey."
"Hey, what's up?"
I turned the car off and got out. I could see my breath as it drifted out as I breathed.
"My dad."
"Okay, so long discussion, we're going to bring that inside then."
I looked down to see that Ricky was wearing his slippers and no coat. I followed him into the house. His mom and dad were in the other room as I hear pots and pans clattering. We went into his room, and I heard the door shut. I sat on his bed and ran my hands through my hair. My fingers shook as I repeated the process.
"I think I'm truly losing my mind," I muttered.
"Okay, you have to be a little more specific than that."
Ricky leaned against his closed-door as he faced me. I hunched over and stared at my hands.
"Did you see my dad today on TV?"
I glanced up, and Ricky raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Briefly on the TV with my grandpa. My grandpa thinks your dad's work is a load of crap and changed it. He, in general, thinks your dad is a fake POS."
I chuckled. "I knew I liked your grandpa."
Ricky laughed.
"My dad has a new successful clone."
Ricky straightened up. "Seriously?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it's a baby, but the boy has been alive around three months, I think, so they announced it to the public today."
"That's crazy to think about."
"Honestly, I barely listened about the details. I was more focused on Madeline. She attended this conference. She, as usual, didn't speak, though."
"How long has it been since you've seen her?" Ricky's voice was softer.
My shoulders rose and fell as my eyes went to his window. Dark, thick clouds covered every inch of the sky.
"When she was in the hospital before Christmas."
"That's a long time."
I nodded. "Dad told me it was official that Madeline wasn't coming home."
Ricky's eyebrow fused together. "Where is she?"
"At his center." I shook my head. "She's living in that huge building. I don't know where. I just know she has her own room. Dad said she wasn't coming back between the attack on her immune system and what I said. That I'd never see her again."
"What did you say?" Ricky's voice came out slowly.
I started to wring my hands between my knees as my heart was racing. I hadn't told anyone about that night or my confession, my realization. I hadn't uttered the words since.
"That," I paused, "that I love Madeline."
I glanced up at Ricky. The muscles in Ricky's face relaxed, and his shoulders fell.
"Run that by me again."
"Dad and I were arguing about her as usual, back when Maddie was in the hospital. The words just came out. I don't even know what caused me to say them. I didn't even know I felt that way."
Ricky smirked. "Really? You are super protective over her. You two have always cuddled. The way you two look at each other. You didn't know?"
My face was flat. "No."
"It's one of the things that piss Justin off. He can tell too. When you said you two were sleeping together, Justin was convinced that you two were doing more than just sleeping."
"So was my dad."
It had been so long since her body was alongside mine. Our arms wrapped around the other. Now I was going to have sleep the rest of my life, not having that again.
"Did you two…"
"No!" my head shot up. "We never had sex or fooled around. We kissed once by accident. That's it, I swear. I don't know if I can keep living with him. He is driving me to the brink of insanity. I don't think I'm going to make it to graduation."
"You could move in here."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
His face softened. "My parents and I have talked about it before. You're welcome to move in here anytime you want, whether it is for the night or until graduation."
"I can't do that to your parents."
Ricky shrugged. "They love you, and they know your dad. I'm at school, so my room is free. Madeline isn't there anymore. You're going to have to think about yourself for the first time. What is keeping you in that toxic home now that she is at the center?"
"You're right," I mumbled.
"It happens occasionally."
He laughed, and I smirked.
"I'll think about your offer."
"That's all I can ask for. Now, are you hungry?"
Ricky was in his bed, and I was lying on the floor in his room. His parents found an old blow-up mattress. They put sheets and blankets on it. I felt awkward telling
them I wasn't staying. My dad didn't even contact me to see where I was. My hands were behind my head as I stared at his ceiling.
"I know you didn't have sex with her, but did you ever think about it?" Ricky's voice broke through the silence of the darkroom.
I groaned and rubbed my face.
"Dude, I thought you finally fell asleep."
"Nope."
"No, I thought about kissing her for real, though."
"Do you still love her?"
"I don't know." I groaned. "I do miss her, though."
"More than when Lisa broke up with you."
"Honestly, Lisa breaking up with me didn't upset me as much. Being away from Madeline is what is bothering me."
"Then there's the first clue that you have feelings for the girl that shares your bed."
"She had her own bed," I muttered.
Ricky rolled over onto this side and peered over at me.
"Yeah, but she mostly slept in yours."
A ding came from my phone, causing the whole screen to light up. It was an email. I clicked it, and it was junk, but my eyebrows scrunched as my eyes were adjusting to the light. There was an email from the college that I had applied to. How did I miss this email? I clicked it and sat up.
"Holy shit."
"What?" Ricky sat up as well.
"I got in at the college in Boston."
"Seriously?"
I nodded my head as I continued to read my acceptance letter. My heart pounded.
"Yeah." A grin grew across my face.
"That's awesome! You really can get away from him."
I chuckled. "A fresh start."
"You'll be in Massachusetts, and Madeline is in the center. You both will be protected from your dad."
My clothes and a few belongings sat in the backseat of my car in plastic garbage bags. My heart raced. I left a note on the kitchen table letting dad know that I was moving in with Ricky's family. Taking in a deep breath, I opened my car door and pulled out two bags. As I carried the bags to the house's front door, Ricky's dad opened the door. A smile was on his face.
"Do you need help?"
I shook my head. "No thanks, I got it. Thank you, though."
My cheeks warmed as I headed inside. I turned into Ricky's sister's room. Dropping the bags with a soft thud, I turned to go back to the rest of the bags. Ricky's dad was carrying them down by his sides. He went past me and put the bags with mine.
Beaker to Life Page 9