“You’re very funny. Your belly will hurt for a while but I believe with what I am going to tell you that you’re going to think it’s worth it. When we perform any surgery we make take a look to see if there are any problems. Gives us additional work at times like a garage mechanic checking the belts when he checks the oil. Just kidding.”

“Sure, now you’re going to tell me you found a problem and this isn’t going to work. What else can happen? If it can, it’ll happen to me.”

“Don’t be stupid. The port is in fine. What we found was a small cyst near the top of your uterus.”

“I knew something was wrong. Is it cancer? Does it have to come out? How soon?”

“No it isn’t cancer and it isn’t that big that it has to come out and if it isn’t causing you pain so there is no reason to do anything to it but it’d make getting pregnant really difficult, probably impossible. It probably makes the implants much less likely to take. Let me show you.” She moved the probe. Peggy felt something like a mild menstrual cramp. “Watch it.”

“Sorry, I bumped the top of your uterus with the probe. That’s where the cyst is. See that, on the little swelling on the top of your uterus.” She pointed to the screen. “I didn’t feel it when I examined you and I’d bet your doctor didn’t because there is no mention in your records. Even a sonogram missed it. I would have taken it out while I had you open but you’d have been laid up for two or three weeks with a real colossal bellyache and I knew you wouldn’t have wanted that now, with the election. There’d be no campaigning till after the election if I had done it. Think if the worst cramps you’ve ever had and multiply by four. If I’d have done it now, it’d have started there and tapered off in a month to six weeks.”

“Why didn’t you go ahead and do it? I’m going to loose the election any way. You might as well have done it all at one time and got it over with.” A smile crossed her face. “You really should have done it. I’d have won for sure without any campaigning. I’d have killed my opponent. Imagine being off the campaign trail because I was laid up because I had surgery so I can get pregnant, to carry a child. No, I got a better idea. This’ll be great if I handle it right. I’ll say I’ll get it fixed, then I’ll carry a baby. In the meantime, I’ll donate for a few months. If I have you fix my uterus can I still donate till I’m ready to carry a baby?”

“Sure. We might have to miss one cycle of donations when we do the surgery but that isn’t important.”

Peggy started crying, “Please tell me I can have a child of my own after the surgery.”

“Sort of.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll have to remove your tubes because the cyst involves the place where they enter the uterus. Without your tubes you can’t do it naturally.”

“But you could harvest eggs, fertilize them with my husband’s sperm and implant them in me?”

Joan looked up from the screen. “We sure could. You really do want a baby, don’t you?”

“Not one, I want two. So does my husband. We discussed it several weeks ago. Would it be selfish to ask to have them before I do it for someone else?”

“No.”

“I really wanted two more, but I couldn’t get pregnant, so I settled for two girls. I saw the doctor but I didn’t want to go through the infertility drill. Neither did Joe. I’d like to have a boy, and one more girl. Maybe she can help her sisters.”

“What if she doesn’t want to?”

“My kid will. I guarantee it.”

Alpha Four Chapter 01: Two Autopsies

Alpha Four Chapter 09: Peggy Kramer Opts for Another Role

Alpha Four Chapter 11: Peggy Kramer Back in the House with a Belly