Stan looked up, “Dear Lord, no. What was wrong with that teacher.” Beth got up to hold her daughter.

“No, mom and dad. I am glad I was there. The teacher asked what everyone thought. People were commenting. Not one person thought it was your fault. Some were actually angry with you for taking the blame. Finally one of the girls spoke up. She had a baby and it was vaccinated with Alpha Four just a day before the ban.” Stan hung his head. “She told the class. I had a choice of an appointment that day or two days later. I took the earlier one so I could be in school for a test. We can blame all kinds of things but it isn’t worth it. I missed the Alpha Four because my dad was in the army and out of the country. Because of my choice I got pregnant as a teen. I had control over that and didn’t take the right choice. Because of my choice to be at a test, a right one, my daughter will not be able to have children. If I hadn’t had sex that night, had waited a couple of days or years, my daughter would be fine. Dr. Warner has no blame. If I get a chance I will tell him. If I have another daughter because of him she will not have this happen to her.”

“You sat through that exchange?”

“Yes. When it was over I told the class who I was. Everyone was quiet. Then I faced the girl and told her, “Thank you. I will tell my dad.” She was nearly white. She was afraid she had hurt me. I told her that if she wanted to talk to my dad I would see if he would. Dad, she wants to call you and thank you.”

Stan looked at his daughter. “I would take that call and I would ask her to forgive me for not noticing sooner.”

“She knows you feel that way.”

July 26, 2005

Joan was in a doctor’s office again, this time to be implanted again. It was performed and she took the rest of the day off to relax. The implantation success percentage was going up, it was now nearly ninety percent and it was better if the woman relaxed for about twelve hours after the procedure. She knew the trauma of a failed implant on the prospective parents and the surrogate. At the end of 2004 the birth rate for the country which had dropped about three percent each year for eight years, all of it in the teens and early twenties had rebounded and in fact was nearly fifteen percent over the time before the Alpha four impact. The figures were being presented two ways, with the birth mother and the genetic mom. The genetic mom counts were over what they were before the AlphaFour girls hit that age. But then, there were women who were infertile for other reasons who were becoming moms and some were catching up. Even adjusting for the infertility of the Alpha Fours the abortion rate was dropping and the adoption rate was going up at almost the same rate. Joan didn’t know exactly why but somehow children were being treated as more valuable and she was sure that wasn’t bad.

August 11, 2005

Joan picked up the pregnancy test wand. It was positive. This would be her second as a surrogate, her fifth pregnancy. Hopefully the morning sickness would not be as bad as it was in a couple of the others.

Epilogue

Although this ends what I have written I ask some questions…. What will happen when the youngest Alpha Four girls, as I called them get to forty essentially ending their child bearing years? Would American Technology rise to the occasion and either perfect uterine transplants or artificial wombs? With this technology will artificial wombs outside the human body, essentially a pre-birth incubator be possible? What other ethical issues dies this raise? If they did, how would this impact other areas, gays, transsexuals or an unmarried man who wants to have a child or maybe a married man who prefers to carry a child because of his wife’s health or career? The possibilities are almost endless.

Alpha Four Chapter 01: Two Autopsies

Alpha Four Chapter 22: Joan Has an Audience in the Delivery Room