FAEBIE

He knocked on the glass, “Coleman baby.” The female nurse found the appropriate baby and held the new boy to the window for him to see. Jack tilted his head to the side to get a better look at him. His new son looked so normal and healthy. He had none of the symptoms of Tay-Sachs that he could carry like the other two did. Jack’s face broke into a sad smile of relief and walked back to his wife’s antiseptic hospital room.
The pain in her eyes of the uncertainty of what could lay ahead for their child was evident. “Is he…okay?”
“He looks fine, hon. I couldn’t see any physical deformities.” The surprise filled his voice, for the tests all said he had it. He had hoped for a miracle because he loved her so much and didn’t want her to give up on them.
“We should still have him checked out.”
“I agree. But let’s wait till we go home for a few days so both of you can recoup.” Jack sat on the bed with his wife and kissed her gently on her sweaty brow. The loving smile they shared was a Kodak moment.
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Once they got home naptime was a must for the new mother and child. They slept off and on for a few days while Jack watched over them. “Honey? You awake yet?” Jill opened her eyes and looked at her new son, Joshua, next to her.
“Isn’t he just precious?” Jack stared at his new son. Little Joshua opened his eyes and smiled. He already looked a little bigger than when they brought him home and, he seemed to be moving more too.
“I made an appointment with the Doctor for tomorrow to get Joshua checked out.”
“Good. I just want all my worries put to rest. I don’t know what I would do if he had it too.” Jill hung her head in her hands. “Watching my brother live with it was hard but, losing our two other children was worse. I don’t know if I could go through it again.”
Jack went to Jill’s side and held her in his arms hoping that the new tests will help keep them together. “Everything will be fine. You need to be more optimistic, hon. We’ll go to the Doctor’s tomorrow.”
                             *                    *                    *
“Well, Doctor, what’s the result of the tests?” The parents shifted in the uncomfortable chairs.
“I have good news for you. Joshua does not have Tay-Sachs.” The parents beamed a smile at the Doctor that brightened the room. “I do have a question though. Does either side of the family have Fragile X or Marfan Syndrome?” the parents had a confused look on their faces.
“No, not to our knowledge. Why?”
“It’s the only things I can think of that covers the symptoms of your son.”
“What symptoms?” They clasped each others hands at their side between them.
The Doctor took a deep breath and signed. “Long limbs, loose joints, flat feet, the list can go on forever.”
“Are you sure?”
“I would have to run a few more tests, and consult some other specialists to be positive. One thing still bothers me though.”
“What?”
“It’s his ears. With most disease the ears are longer at the bottom not the tops.” The earlier beaming smiles become tormented frowns as they stood up.
“Thank you, Doctor. Let us know what you find out from the specialist.”
“I’ll give you a call if I find anything out or if I need you to bring him back in for more tests.”
The Colemans smiled and nodded their heads at the Doctor and walked out with Joshua. “I can’t believe this. How could this happened to Joshua?”
“It probably had something to do with your medical ripened family.”
Jill turned towards her husband, “You think everything good is because of you and everything bad is my fault. Well, I don’t think so.” She nuzzled the sleeping child in her arms while her husband glared at her. The child’s features were almost cherubic: blond hair, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, but his ears were slightly pointed on the tips like the Doctor said, his eyes were almond-shaped, and his limbs were long for a newborn. No one on either side had those features. The ride home was quiet and strained with intervals of baby coos. Once they pulled into the driveway and Jack turned off the engine of their 1997 Grand Prix, he looked at her with regret in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, hon. I don’t want us to fight, especially since we have a son finally. It doesn’t matter what he has but that he’s ours. Do you forgive me and my stubborn pride?”
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The nagging feeling of doubt lingered at the back of Jack’s mind about his child. He didn’t want to upset his wife, but she tended to fly off the handle at every little thing. The Doctor called it postpartum depression when he asked after a few days of it. Jack had to know or it would drive him crazy. “Honey, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” She was rocking little Joshua in his cradle in their cluttered living room.
“It’s about Josh.” Jill’s eyes lifted to meet his. “I have to know, is he mine?”
“How can you even think that I’ve been unfaithful to you after ten years of marriage?”
“He just doesn’t look like me that’s all.”
“He takes after my side.”
“How do I know you weren’t cheating while I was away on business? I know how badly you wanted a healthy child.”
“How do I know if you didn’t cheat on me at anytime?”
“I love you, Jill, and I don’t want to fight. Besides, I’ve never even looked let alone touched another woman.” The level of their voices grew with each exchange till little Joshua cried. Jill picked him up from the heirloom cradle and comforted him.
“Why don’t you believe me?” Her voice was filled with sadness while she pleaded. The doorbell sounded and broke the argument. Jack went to open the door.
“Who are you?” Anger still tinged his voice.
“I’m Dr. Ron Gentry. I saw you and your wife at the hospital. May I come in?”
“What do you want?” Jill walked closer to see who it was.
Even though Jack was hostile Ron was nothing but a gentleman. “I have some information about your son.”
“Really?” doubt filled his voice.
“Come in. Mr. Gentry, was it?” Jill’s voice carried over Jack’s hostility.
“Doctor, madam.” Ron pushed his way past Jack following the slight hip sway of Jill. Walking into the house his black trench coat, along with his presence, floated out from him like on a breeze that no one else felt. Jack followed them back to the living room trying to reign in his anger.
Taking a deep breath he turned toward their guest. “Have a seat, Dr. Gentry. Would you like something to drink?” His black suit fit him like a glove when he sat on the couch.
“Do you have any tea?”
“No. How about a beer?”
“Do you have ale?”
“Ale? I thought beer was ale.”
Ron shrugged his shoulders, “I’ll take a beer.” Jack goes to the kitchen.
“Mr. Gentry, I didn’t know Doctors still made house calls?” Jill was in her rocking chair with little Joshua in her arms.
“Only when we deem it extremely important, madam.”
         Jack returned with two beers. “Here you go,” opening the top of one and handing it over to Gentry.
“Thank you, Mr. Coleman.” Ron sat the beer on the coffee table. “You know, Mrs. Coleman, this is such a charming home.” Jill beamed a smile at him. Jack shifted in his chair while he waited for the information about his son.
“What kind of Doctor are you, Mr. Gentry?”
“I have a PhD in Politics. I work in International Affairs.”
Jack and Jill exchange glances. “I thought you said you were a medical doctor?”
“No, madam. I said I was a Doctor and I saw you at the hospital. I never said I was a medical doctor.”
Jack started to get agitated at the small talk. “What do you know about my son, Dr. Gentry?” Everyone could hear the anger building in his voice. Ron turned his almond-shaped blue eyes toward him while Jill shrank more within herself, clutching the baby against her like a shield.
“Now, Mr. Coleman, there’s no need for you to get upset. I was merely being polite to you lovely wife. Besides, you probably don’t want to hear anything contradictory about your son.
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you noticed anything different about your son from other children?” Ron pyramided his fingers in front of his face and peered over them at the couple.
“He doesn’t look anything like me.” Jack’s matter of fact voice felt frigid when it hit. “He looks like you, Dr. Gentry.” He stared at his wife with anger.
“I’ve never been unfaithful to you, Jack!”
“Still pleading your fidelity I see.”
“Actually, sir, your wife is being honest. She has never strayed from her vows to you.”
Jack’s angry gaze whipped to Ron’s trying to pierce his soul with his. “How would you know?”
“I have a talent of knowing when someone is lying. I’m around it enough that I’ve grown a sixth sense for it.” His grin was absolutely impish. “But she was lying about your child.”
Agitation filled his voice, “So is he or isn’t he my son!”
“It depends on what you mean by ‘son’, for we are all sons and daughters of everyone.” Ron was very calm and collected.
“Quit speaking in riddles and tell us the truth about our son!”
“You know the answer to your question, Mr. Coleman. It’s staring you in the face.”
“No! I don’t believe any of this.” Jill’s voice had panic lacing each word. “This is my son, no one else’s.”
“Madam, look at your son’s face closely. What do you see?”
“Blond hair…like mine. Blue eyes…”
“Almond-shaped blue eyes, hon, like his.”
“Cute little ears…” Ron tucked his blond hair behind his pointed ears.
“Pointed ears, honey.” The regret was evident in Jack’s voice. “Besides, Joshua’s Doctor said at the beginning he would have the disease and this child doesn’t.”
“No, I’m not listening to this. He’s mine!”
“Madam, your child is being taken good care of. I’ll bring your son to you if you give me mine.” Reason was slowly winning out.
“How do we know you have our son, and not someone else’s, Dr. Gentry?”
“We can take both children, Mr. Coleman, to a doctor of your choosing and do a parental test. Does that sound reasonable to you?”
“Yes, Dr. Gentry.” Jack turned towards Jill, “Honey…what’d you say?”
“No. This is my child. I’m not giving him up. I’d do anything for my child.”
“It’s the only way we’ll know for sure.”
Tears started to fall down her cheeks silently. “Madam, please don’t cry. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to be. You’ll see.” Ron got up and brushed the back of his fingers against her tear-streaked face. Jill looked up and smiled slightly. “Besides I’d do anything for my child as well.”
“All right, we’ll do it.”
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“What’s the result?” Jack was calm, Jill was filled with apprehension and, Ron was completely at ease.
“As for little Joshua, he’s not yours Mr. and Mrs. Coleman. He actually belongs to Mr. Gentry. As for the other child, he is yours.”
“Does he have Tay-Sachs?”
“I’m afraid so, Mrs. Coleman.” Tears started to run silently down her face. She grabbed her husband’s hand who was sitting next to her. “But I do have some good news.”
Jill sniffed and wiped her eyes. “What?”
“The disease is in remission.” He had a huge grin upon his face at the good news.
“Thank you, Doctor. That’s truly a miracle.” Ron got up, shook the Doctor’s hand and, went to pick up his son, Joshua. The child giggled at him.
“How long before the disease comes back?”
“He’ll be able to live a full life for quite a while before it comes back.”
Jack held his wife, “Don’t worry, baby, we’ll do this together.” Jill was silent with tears still falling silently.
“Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman.” Ron walked out of the stuffy doctor’s office with his rightfully claimed son in his arms.
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Hospitals were a normal routine for the Coleman family so twenty years later it’s nothing new to see tests being run on their only son. “Mom, don’t cry. I’ll be fine, you’ll see.” He laid in bed with monitors hooked up to him, checking his vital signs.
“I hope you’re right, baby.” A coughing fit racked his body till he coughed up blood. “Go to sleep. I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Okay, Mom.” Exiting the glow-in-the-dark white room Jill runs into the Doctor. “What’s the verdict on my son?”
“Not good. He has maybe six months.”
“I’d do anything to help him.”
“Short of a DNA flush, there’s nothing you can do, Mrs. Coleman.”
Once the Doctor walked off Jill sat down in one of the many waiting chairs that littered the hospital. “Did I hear you correctly, madam? You’d do anything to save your son?”
Jill looked up at the young man who spoke. He wore a brown three-piece suit with a bowler hat. His eyes looked so familiar to her, almond-shaped blue eyes. “Do I know you?”
He gave a sly grin, “Maybe from another time. Did I hear you correctly earlier?”
“Yes.”
“I can help your son but, it will be at a price you might not want to pay.”
The thought of something being able to save her son made her grab for the slightest bit of hope. She grabbed his hand and forced him into the seat next to her. He pushed his hat back and leaned towards her with his elbows resting on his knees. “I’ll do anything. You hear me…anything.”
“Take me to him.” Jill didn’t care what the cost was she led the stranger to her son. Running his hand above the body of her son he knew what was wrong.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I never asked your name.”
“I’m Mr. Goodfellow; I’m an old associate of Dr. Gentry. Do you remember him?”
“I remember him.” A sigh escaped her lips as she put the clues together. “Can you help my son or not?”
“Yes, but you must leave the room.” Jill nodded her head and walked out. She knew things would work out like they did then. A few moments later Mr. Goodfellow followed her out.
“Are you already finished?” Her eyebrows crunched together.
“Yes.” He looked paler now if that was possible.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What’s the price?”
“I’ll come to collect later. Meanwhile, love the time you have together for immortality is not an option.” He shook her hand and walked down the hallway till he was out of sight. His last comment plagued Jill’s mind while she went in to see her son.

word count: 2466