"You had others after Madeline?" I turned to my dad.
He nodded and stared at her.
"We had one take its first breath this week. We were going to go public next week about it."
I blinked. "There's another one?"
"One of the other scientists is taking him." Dr. Green informed. "However, fourteen years then to have an issue. Something about the immune system DNA make-up must have a limit, making it not be as strong."
I watched my father's shoulders rise and fall.
"Why are you all talking about her like she's a gallon of milk about to go bad?"
"I'll have to have her homeschooled when she gets back. If those numbers are correct, she won't be able to handle all those germs in a public school."
Dr. Green nodded his head. "I'll be coming to the hospital instead of the lab as long as she is here. I'll pop in to see the new one, but we have to study this with Madeline."
"Thank you." My dad spoke up.
"Have a good night."
Dr. Green patted my shoulder and left the three of us alone.
"How many have there been?" my voice cracked as I watched her chest go up and down.
"Close to three hundred attempts."
I looked up at him.
"She is a marvel. Most of the clones didn't form past the cell dividing. Some made it through various fetus stages. A couple never took their first breath. Since her, we were able to get a couple to breathe for a day or two. One made it to a couple of months."
"At what point do you start to wonder if you shouldn't be messing with this stuff."
My dad narrowed his eyes. "Then you wouldn't have her. Which is it? I shouldn't have created her, or I should see her as a person?"
My face warmed. I leaned back in the chair.
"Is this from my cold?" I whispered.
"Partly, but something else must have been going on in her body to turn the cold into pneumonia. Dr. Green already asked for a sample of her blood for him to study to see if we could crack what happened."
My eyes stayed on Madeline.
"We should go home now."
I looked at him. "We're leaving Madeline here?"
"In her state, I'd be afraid to move her. Dr. Green will keep an eye on her while I tend to the new boy."
My dad was onto the new shiny toy.
"Dr. Green drove me here, so are you ready to drive me to the office to get my car?"
"I guess."
My dad was already halfway through the door. I glanced over my shoulder, taking in one last glance of Madeline before I went home.
Dad had me pick up dinner on the way home because he had to check on the new clone for the night. I was opening the pizza box on the counter when he walked in. I pulled out two plates, and he plopped down in a chair at the kitchen table. I rolled my eyes and placed a plate in front of his spot. I sat down in my usual chair. I was looking at the slice in front of me. The piece appeared to be a pile of grease that spread across the plate. I pushed the plate to the side and placed my elbows on the table. My face buried into the palms of my hands.
"She woke up. She'll be fine." My dad commented.
I lowered my hands to my mouth to look at him.
"She did?"
My dad nodded and took a bite out of the pizza. His eyes never met mine.
"That's good, right?"
He nodded. "I think Madeline was just starting to get the cold that you had, and her system was already having issues, then she took that walk in the cold."
My stomach twisted.
"I got her sick?"
He shrugged. "Yes and no. It isn't that simple. You didn't help, though."
I glanced over, and he was eating his dinner. My chest suddenly felt too small for both my lungs and beating heart.
"How are you so calm?"
My dad looked up from the pizza with an eyebrow raised above his lenses. "She's an experiment, and you can't get attached."
My eyebrow scrunched, and I narrowed in on him.
"I'm not supposed to get attached? Madeline has been living with us for over fourteen years. You were there teaching her to walk and talk. You taught her to read. How are you so cold towards her?"
"I had so many failed experiments, and she's just that. She's an oversized lab rat. I'm observing how she lives so that we can see about more in the future." my dad said nonchalantly.
We might as well have been talking about making a grocery list.
"You just compared Madeline to a lab rat."
"Right now, we're trial and error the results of her getting sick. What would you call her?"
"Madeline."
He straightened up. My dad's lean frame stiffened, and his jaw was tight.
"Maybe she's been here too long."
I raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"She might have been living here too long."
"Where else would she live?"
"There has been a room for her back at the office."
My stomach dropped.
"You're going to move her out?"
"We've gone back and forth on this for years. With Madeline's health turning for the worse now, it'll be better off if she's closer to us in our labs instead of a germ-filled hospital. Plus, the center is trained to deal with clones."
My heart raced.
"She wouldn't be living here?"
"That's what moving means."
"You can't just take her out of here like that." My voice started to grow louder.
"I can. Dr. Green and I discussed it a little when I went to get my keys out of the office. He agrees. When she's well enough to be moved, we're transferring her into her new room."
My dad got up and went downstairs to his lab. The door was closed, and I was left with my spinning head. Madeline has finally woken up, but she was still very sick. My dad was moving her out of our house and into his office. When and how was I going to see Madeline if she was there? What would she do without me to protect her from my dad?
My eyelids were as heavy as my steps as I made my way down the hall in the hospital. My hands were in my coat pockets, and each step that I took echoed in the hall. Taking a deep breath, I peeked into her room. Madeline was sitting up and looking at the TV screen. A grin grew on my face.
"You're awake." I greeted.
Her head turned in my direction. Madeline was pale as paper with tubs going to her nose. There were dark half-moons under her green eyes. A weak smile formed on her face.
"Yeah."
I walked in and pulled the chair closer to her bed. Some daytime TV show was on. The chair was hard, but I sat on the edge of the seat.
"How are you feeling?"
Her breaths were shallow.
"Tired."
"I can believe it."
I couldn't sleep with just one night of her not being in the house. What was I going to do when she moved out? Did my dad tell her yet? I couldn't bring myself to be the one to tell Madeline that she wasn't going to be in the room next to mine. I took her hand in mine, and my thumb ran over hers.
"You look as good as I feel." Her voice was hoarse.
I chuckled dryly. "I had trouble sleeping."
"Me too."
"I believe it."
She coughed. Madeline's face scrunched as she leaned forward, and her free hand was over her mouth. She wiped her hand on the edge of her blanket and took a sip of water on her tray.
"I can't wait to get out of here." She mumbled.
Madeline fell further back against her pillow and closed her eyes.
"I don't blame you."
"Dr. Green told me he's going to get me out of here tomorrow, and he's transferring me to the lab."
My empty stomach felt like there was a rock in it. For how long would she be there? Dad made it sound more permanent.
"Are you alright with that?" my voice came out as a whisper.
She shrugged and opened her olive eyes. "Yes and no. It'll be better than in here, but I'm ready to go home
with you."
I squeezed her hand. "Me too."
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"I will never let anything bad happen to you."
Madeline smiled. "Thank you. You've always been there for me."
"And I always will."
Dad's car was in the driveway when I came home from work, but I didn't see him. Madeline must be home. I smiled and rushed into the house. I took two stairs at a time to go upstairs. The sounds of shuffling caused my heart to pound harder. Quickening my pace, I saw Madeline's door open. Standing in the doorway, Dad took her clothes out of her drawers and threw them into a bag. My heart sunk.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm packing for her. She's not in any shape to do that. Once I get her stuff together, I'm taking it back to the office. Dr. Green got her old room ready for someone who isn't a baby. We even got a desk and stuff for her so that she can be homeschooled."
"How long will she be living there?" My voice was soft.
I felt like I didn't want to know the answer to that.
My dad opened another drawer and was throwing her pants into the bag. He wasn't bothering folding or organizing her stuff.
"Probably years, we can't afford to lose track of her. We have to figure out what is going wrong and how to fix it."
My heartbeat filled my ears.
"So, she won't live here anymore?" my voice was weak.
My dad turned to face me with one of her shirts gripped in his hands.
"Why are you having such a hard time with this?" his tone was sharp.
"I love her." The words flew out of my mouth, and they almost sounded foreign.
I blinked a few times. The room filled with silence so thick that you could almost see it. My heart pounded like a second hand on a clock, ticking as I searched for what to say next. Did I love Madeline? Where the hell did that come from? Oh shit. I meant it. When did that happen?
My dad nodded his head.
"Then I'm making a wise decision by moving her into the office."
My dad grabbed the bag filled with Madeline's clothes and pushed past me into the doorframe. Why the hell did I say that? When did I develop feelings for her? The late nights curled up with each other. The laughter. The way she smiled at me. I leaned against the wall. I was screwed.
10
Madeline
My chest felt like I was wearing a too-small shirt for me as I struggled to breathe. With a ding, the elevator inside the center opened. Dr. Green was pushing me in a wheelchair down the hall. He wanted to show me to my room. We weren't in the lab or the conference room area of the center. I couldn't remember being on this side before. The hall was long and narrow, entirely covered in dull carpet. There were doors on both sides that had different names on them.
"These are where our offices are. I know it doesn't scream home." Dr. Green commented.
He had never seen my room at Dr. Vodola's house. Other than Ricky's house, I'd never been inside anyone else's home. So what did I have to compare it to, but my prison and the room that belonged to Ricky's sister.
"If staying in this room gets me out of the hospital, I'm happy."
Dr. Green chuckled as he threw his head back, and his dark glasses moved up his nose. "I get it. I promise the food here will be better as well."
I laughed. The laughter tickled my throat, and I started to cough into my hand again. Little pieces of white chunks were in my hand. I scrunched and whipped it on the side of the sweatshirt I was wearing. So gross.
"As time goes on, you'll be able to decorate the room to make it yours."
My face scrunched. "As time goes on?"
I looked over my shoulder at Dr. Green. His eyes got wide, and his face grew red, which only made his white hair brighter.
"Didn't Dr. Vodola tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That you were moving in."
"He told me that."
"No, like you will now live here."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"With you getting sick and whatnot, we thought it would be better for you to stay here. Your immune system took a big hit, and we don't want you to get sick."
My heart raced.
"So, I'm going to be locked up here." My voice came out in a high pitch.
I started to wheeze. Dr. Green stopped pushing the wheelchair and crouched down in front of me. His eyes were soft and grey. His face had life etched into it, and his hair was grey with a few streaks of white.
"This won't be like a prison, I promise. It will get better."
My eyes watered.
"I need you to take deep breaths, Madeline. If you get upset, it is only going to make it harder to breathe."
I gulped and nodded my head, unable to find the words.
Dr. Green went back to pushing the chair, but my eyes stung, and my throat burned. We stopped in front of a brown wooden door. My name was on the sign on it; this was permanent. He opened the door. The room had a brown chair in it. Off to the right, there was a desk, a laptop, and a bookcase behind it. It was clearly someone's office at one point, on the other side where a sofa might have been a full-size mattress with seafoam and grey bedding. There was a dresser next to the bed. Next to the bed was a silver mini fridge with a white and silver lamp resting on top. Then four big windows took up the opposite wall of the door.
"As I said, it isn't much, but it has potential. Think of it as having your own apartment."
Dr. Green pushed me further into the room.
"I'm feeling kind of tired. I think I want to take a nap." My voice came out as a whisper.
"I understand."
Dr. Green patted my head, and I heard the door click behind me. Pushing myself out of the chair, I took light steps to the window. Between the buildings, I could almost see the ocean. Turning around slowly, I wrapped my hands around me. I was somewhere new but told this was where I would be living from now on. On the one hand, Dr. Vodola wouldn't be able to harm me again with too many witnesses. On the other, Sawyer and were separated for however long.
I had dragged the computer chair to the window. My knees pressed into my chest as I stared out. I watched as the cars drove by. Even though it was January, a man rode by on a bike. The coughing was lessening. However, my nerves were still on alert as scientists went in and out of their offices. I hadn't seen Sawyer since I was in the hospital. I couldn't just walk a couple of steps over and see him for the first time in my life. A knock on the door broke my thoughts.
"Come in."
"Hello."
A woman's voice caused me to turn around. She looked familiar. Her hair was a pale blond; I was not sure if it was white and tied back. Her face was round, and she couldn't have been much taller than me. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
"Do I know you?" I asked.
I withdrew my legs and placed the soles of my feet onto the carpet. The woman laughed.
"I'm Beth. I'm Dr. Green's wife."
"Oh."
She walked across the room until she was standing next to me.
"I doubt they've told you much by the look on your face."
I shook my head.
"I'm going to be coming to you and help you finish your high school education."
I nodded. It was official I was cut off from the outside world. Part of me knew this would happen one day, but I prayed it was my anxiety.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll miss your friends."
My eyes watered. "Mostly just one. I don't have many. It's hard to be friends with anyone when you're not allowed to hang out."
She raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I thought you were raised to have a regular life."
The lump in my throat returned. "Dr. Vodola wouldn't let me out of the house. I couldn't hang out with anyone. I couldn't go to the movies or birthday parties."
I couldn't stop the words just continued to pour out of me. I hadn't been around a woman except for teachers and the few female scien
tists. I was going to get him in trouble, but I couldn't stop. The truth was released. What else could he take away from me?
"I'd never been to the mall when one girl kept inviting me. If I did anything, it was when Sawyer snuck behind his dad's back and took me. I miss Sawyer."
Beth embraced me. "I'm sorry, Madeline. I am."
My arms wrapped around her as I cried into her shoulder. If I had a mother growing up, would this had been what it would've been like? Emotions swirled around me as the contact of her arms embraced me close to her. Her one hand stroked my back.
"Maybe when you're better, I can sneak you out of here, but until then, we'll make the best of what we got, okay?" I nodded as Beth pulled away. "We can start today. I used to work in the high school, but since I retired, I am a substitute. So, you're pulling me out of retirement."
We both laughed. Beth got back up and walked over to the small bathroom on the same side of the room as the bed. She came back holding some toilet paper and handed it to me.
"I do bring good news. The team is planning on turning that small half bath into a full bathroom for you so that you'll have a shower of your own."
I dabbed my eyes, and a small smile formed. Yeah, no freedom, but here is a shower. That canceled everything out.
Life became pretty routine. I'd wake up, go downstairs to the cafeteria and eat—shower in the lab. Then go back upstairs to my room where Beth and I would spend our days with her lessons. Sometimes she'd bring us food for lunch other times, and we ate downstairs. Mostly Beth would bring us something even if it was a sandwich. She brought me an old microwave to put on top of the mini-fridge. Beth would leave, and I'd have dinner then come back up here. Beth even would occasionally bring me food she cooked at her house to store in the fridge. I had a few books and an old TV in my room. The rest of the night was quiet until I went to bed.
"Gees, I feel like I have to study the night before I come here," Beth commented as I was working on a math assignment for her. "You could probably take the exam and be done with high school altogether."
I smiled as I finished up a problem. I rested my head in my hand to look at her.
Beaker to Life Page 8
