The Outlaw Contractions by Jonathan C. Gillespie

Author:Jonathan C. Gillespie [Gillespie, Jonathan C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heavy Caliber Publishing LLC
Published: 2014-09-01T22:00:00+00:00

• • •

Warren sat alone in the hotel’s dining area, which was decorated in as many shades of brown and beige as one ever wanted to see, and picked at warmed-over eggs. Four hours of sleep, if that. Sheriff Dake had called at five thirty in the morning, full of apologies. According to him, Price had given his word that he wouldn’t try anything. Dake rattled off some other excuses. The outcome of the night’s events were that the Price family was back home and under actual watch this time.

Warren soon left the hotel and his half-eaten breakfast, and drove to his appointment with Dr. DeRose.

Like everything else in the town, the small pseudo-hospital felt like a remnant from an earlier time. It was a white, concrete structure rendered in outdated brutalism. A glowing cross, its left arm flickering, stood above the center of the second story. Some holdover icicles adorned the concrete that hung over the entranceway.

Dr. DeRose was waiting on the second floor, in his office. He was a severe-looking man well into his fifties, with a frown that looked etched into his lantern jaw. His handshake was reluctant.

“There are a number of other physicians that could have attended to this,” he said, leading Warren to a nearby workup room.

“Yes,” said Warren, “but given my choices, I’d prefer to go with the man that delivered the infant.”

“The baby’s name is Bobby,” Dr. DeRose replied. “Let’s get this over with.”

It was clear passions were already escalating in town, and he didn’t want any legal headaches or accusations to follow the eventual decision on Bobby’s status. Best to place all the evidence in the open, in plain sight. Soon the hospital equipment was processing Warren’s samples.

The progress bars on the room’s monitors filled gradually. His laptop provided the integration with the World Health Organization’s continually growing DNA database. Odds were still pretty strong they wouldn’t find a parent match. Not all abortions were undertaken in licensed facilities.

“Do I have to stay here the entire time?” asked Dr. DeRose, his arms folded.

Warren nodded.

The doctor rolled his eyes. “You’re backing up my appointment schedule. I should be able to bill your agency.”

“On the upside, it gives us a moment to talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

“Exactly why didn’t you report the birth?”

“What? There was no need to.”

“Several of the fertility experts the Price couple saw indicated no chance of a pregnancy.”

“I had no way of knowing that.”

Of course he did—the Medical Records Integration Act of 2019 had ensured his access to such information.

“Let me be clear with you, Doctor. If we determine you were complicit in any way with a Lico implantation, and thus a rebirth, it could do far more than just cost you your license. You could be facing federal time.”

The older man was trying to look determined, outraged. Trying.

The moment was broken by the laptop beeping an affirmative. A match.

“Oh, good,” said Warren. “Your own equipment has given us our answer.” He turned to the screen and froze.

He stared at it for a long time.

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