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  Steve worriedly asked, “Is her water breaking an actual emergency?”

  “No,” Amy snorted. “It does mean that they won’t want to stop her labor. Ell needs to deliver soon because once the water’s broken infection can set in.” She shrugged, “It may not be an emergency but it was guaranteed to make that guy nervous, ‘cause you know how you men don’t like dealing with the mysteries of childbirth.”

  ***

  Finton’s AI told him he had a call from Wang. “Wang! Did you get her?”

  A frustrated sounding Wang’s voice said, “No sir. She came in through the roof, Tased myself and Vinson and pulled all three women out through the hole.”

  Feeling a cramp in his gut, Finton said, “What? Through the roof? How? Are you saying that she brought in a chopper?”

  “Sir, I don’t know. They Tased me. The women were nice enough to lower me to the floor so I didn’t smash my face. By the time I got control of my muscles back and rolled over, I was in plasticuffs, there was a huge hole in the roof and the women were gone!”

  “Christ!” Finton cursed, this must be exactly what York felt like as his career slid down the crapper.

  Chapter Ten

  Dr. Rebecca Porter studied patient Gardon. Something seemed a little off somehow. Not with the pregnancy, she seemed healthy and her dates of thirty seven weeks seemed reasonable. The records from Gardon’s OB down in North Carolina were all in order. She wouldn’t be the first mother Rebecca had delivered who’d been surprised by early labor while on a trip.

  No, Rebecca just thought something about the woman didn’t look typical for a woman of Mexican heritage. Of course, Mexicans came in all different shapes and colors and ranged from the indigenous phenotype to the Caucasian appearance with all combinations in between. It just seemed that Gardon had an unusual combination of darker indigenous skin but many Caucasian features. An unusual way to divide the features up, but she supposed not impossible. I might not have noticed if it weren’t for my medical degree and an interest in those types of things.

  Rebecca shrugged, Well, it doesn’t matter. She’s dilated and it’s time to get her into the delivery room.

  Rebecca and the nurse positioned Gardon, knees up on the delivery bed and Rebecca lifted the covers. It shouldn’t be long now. Rebecca stared. The woman had a couple of streaks of pale pink skin in her perineum! Suddenly remembering her earlier thoughts about how the woman looked atypical for her Mexican heritage, Rebecca’s eyes flashed to the woman’s face, then to the husband sitting by her holding her hand. Once again, dark skin but features that seemed Caucasian. His black hair, cut in a crew-cut didn’t look as stiff as typical Mexican hair.

  These people are in disguise! Why? Rebecca’s eyes flashed back and forth from one to the other as she continued speaking soothingly to the woman. Glancing back down at her perineum she noticed a couple of fine reddish hairs in the area of skin that the woman had failed to get the skin coloring agent on.

  Rebecca looked back up at the woman. Her eyes narrowed, damn! This is Ell Donsaii!

  The baby came then, all in a rush. Just as pale skinned as you might expect Ell Donsaii’s baby to be if she had the baby with someone as light skinned as that man probably was.

  Rebecca didn’t even wonder what to do. As the child started crying lustily, Rebecca clamped and cut the cord then handed the baby to the nurse. Julie swaddled it. Rebecca saw Julie stare for a moment at the baby’s pale skin, then glance apprehensively at the parents. Rebecca knew Julie expected an angry confrontation between husband and wife over the baby’s skin color.

  As Julie stepped over to weigh, measure and footprint the little boy, Rebecca leaned up close to the parents. “Dr. Donsaii, you have a problem,” she whispered urgently, noting that Donsaii’s exhausted eyes widened. “That white baby did not come from parents as dark skinned as you two are currently pretending to be. If you want to maintain your disguise, like I’m sure you do,” Rebecca turned to look into the man’s eyes, darkened by contacts Rebecca surmised, “you sir, need to pitch a fit and leave ‘because your wife was obviously fooling around.’ If you do that, all anyone will remember is that your wife was fooling around and you were angry. If you stay here and are not pissed off, people are going to wonder how you came to have that white baby and why you aren’t mad about it. Then someone else besides me is going to figure out just who you are.” Rebecca took a deep breath. “I will never give you away. I, like everyone else on this planet including our President, owe you my life.”

  The couple, who’d been staring wide eyed at Rebecca, glanced at one another. Donsaii nodded minutely at her man and squeezed his hand. He glanced across the room at Julie, who still had her back turned, then he bent and kissed Donsaii’s hand. Standing back up he said in a Latin accent, “Puta! That gringo baby isn’t mine! Who were you screwing?”

  In a tremulous voice, probably not difficult after the exhaustion of labor, Donsaii said, “No one! I swear!”

  A tear running down his cheek the man sadly said disgustedly, “Adios Elsa,” and slammed out the door.

  Julie turned to watch him leave, a sad look on her face. She’d worked in delivery for years and would have seen such dramas before. Rebecca hoped she’d focus on the drama and not consider other possibilities. Rebecca leaned up to console Donsaii, “I’m sorry. I know it’s rough going through that right now.” More quietly she said, “I’ve got to tell you that your skin coloration down below is incomplete so you don’t want anyone you don’t trust helping care for you down there. I’m going to deliver the placenta and then cover you up, but if the nurses offer to wash you up later, you should turn it down.”

  Donsaii nodded wearily.

  “Is there anyone else out in the waiting room who you’d like to come in and sit with you?”

  Donsaii croaked out, “Amelia.”

  Steve and Amy looked up in consternation as Shan stormed out through the waiting room without speaking to them. Steve got up to follow him, but then they heard Shan whispering over their AIs. He sounded pretty distressed, “Amy, Steve. We failed to consider how the baby’s white skin would look to the people in the hospital when Ell and I are both bronzed up with dark skin.” He croaked out a sad little laugh, “So… I’m pretending to be incensed that Elsa was fooling around on me and gave me a white baby. But that leaves Ell in there alone. Amy, I mean, Amelia, I’m hoping you’ll go sit with her.” After a pause Shan continued, “Vicente, maybe you should come after me to ‘calm me down’?” He sighed, “Lord knows I kinda need it.”

  Steve and Amy looked at each other a moment, then Amy turned to go into the delivery area as Steve headed after Shan.

  A nurse opened the door of the waiting room as Amy approached it. She said, “Amelia?”

  Amy said, “Here.”

  The nurse said, “Ms. Gardon is hoping you’ll sit with her?

  As Amy washed and gowned up she could see people glancing at her. The little drama that had just gone down had likely drawn their attention. When she had finished a nurse took her in and she sat down to take Ell’s hand.

  “Amelia,” the pleasant looking black OB said calmly while she worked, “Elsa’s baby is healthy but there’s been a little drama because he’s white.” The doctor glanced over at the nurse whose back was turned, then she winked at Amy. “Elsa’s husband was very upset and left just when she needs a lot of support. I’m hoping you can be her friend in this time of great need?”

  Amy nodded, wondering about the wink. Did the doctor know?

  ***

  Acting FBI Director Sheila Rhodes closed her eyes in frustration as she stood outside the Oval Office. It had only been a few days since Stockton had fired Phillips and put her in charge. Simultaneously sad for her old friend Mason Phillips and excited to be provided this opportunity, she’d been looking forward to this meeting with Stockton. As a woman Sheila felt some kinship with the President, though she’d always expected that a woman president would be much more pleasant than the men who’d he
ld that position, not such a hard-nosed bitch.

  Now Sheila was about to have her first meeting with the aforesaid hardhearted Chief Executive and she had to deliver bad news.

  The door opened and an aide waved Sheila in. Stockton stood and came around her desk, something Sheila had heard boded well. “Sheila!” she said, putting out her hand to shake, “It’s going to be good working with you! Phillips didn’t seem to get my priorities.”

  Sheila thought that by ‘priorities,’ Stockton meant her fixation on Donsaii that Phillips had told Sheila about. Sheila stepped forward and took Stockton’s hand. “Yes Ma’am.”

  Ebulliently Stockton said, “So, tell me what your plans are for capturing Donsaii. I’d especially know what kind of trap you have set around Donsaii’s erstwhile employees.” She washed her hands together, “Unless I miss my bet, Donsaii won’t be able to resist trying to get them out. That little girl is under the mistaken impression that she can do anything, you know.” Stockton had been pouring herself a coffee. Now she looked over and saw the expression on Sheila’s face. “What?” Stockton’s eyes narrowed, “What’s that little bitch done now?”

  When Stockton’s full coffee cup exploded against the wall a couple of Secret Service agents burst into the office, weapons in their hands. Wondering if she was about to be fired in her first meeting, Sheila didn’t see their initial looks of concern quickly fading into bland disapproval.

  ***

  Ell sat in her room, beatifically nursing little Zage. He let go and she held him back on her knees to stare into his face. Flooded with love she asked Allan to contact Shan, “Hey hubby. I thought you’d like to look at your son a little more.”

  Shan’s voice cracked, “I… I wish I could be there with you.”

  “I’m supposed to get out this afternoon.” She wiped at the corner of an eye, “Then you can hold him to your heart’s content.”

  Ell signed off with Shan when a knock on the door frame signaled the arrival of Amy. Dr. Porter, the OB, stood behind her. Amy held Zage while Porter checked Ell over. Her eyebrows rose, “You seem to be in good shape. If your AI will accept it, mine will send you a set of instructions for taking care of yourself after delivery.”

  Ell said, “OK.”

  “By the way your tummy has tightened back up much more quickly than other women’s.” She winked at Ell. “Though I suppose, prior to your pregnancy you might have been in better condition than most of my patients, eh?”

  Ell gave a little shrug, “I suppose that might be Ma’am.” Quietly she said, “I would like to say how much I appreciate your keeping my secret for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  Porter smiled sadly, “I’m just sorry that you have to hide. I’m a lot more liberal than most and I did vote for Edith Stockton, but what she’s been doing to you is just plain wrong.” Porter paused and her throat worked a moment, then she rasped hoarsely, “You have my utmost respect and gratitude, not just for what you did in deflecting the comet, but also for what your inventions have been doing to improve the lives of people everywhere. I plan to keep your secret until Stockton comes to her senses.” She sniffed and wiped at the corner of her eye, “It has been my honor to care for you and this will be a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life.” She paused and then gave an embarrassed smile, “I feel terribly selfish for asking this, but someday, when you’re no longer a wanted woman, I’d be so proud to be able to tell my friends that I have an autograph proving that I delivered your baby?”

  “Oh, my goodness, I’d be delighted,” Ell said. “Just one issue. I may not be raising little Zage as Ell Donsaii but under an alias so he doesn’t get dragged into my messy public life. Could you take just an ordinary autograph?”

  Porter smiled, “I guess, considering what’s been happening to ‘Ell Donsaii’ recently, I can understand that tactic. Sure, I’d be thrilled to have an ordinary autograph.”

  “Do you have a pen and paper?”

  “I’ll have to go find one.”

  ***

  “Hey there Grandma,” Ell said to Kristen.

  “Hey, kiddo, you sound tired. You OK?”

  “Like you told me a few times, labor takes it out of you.”

  “Oh! Did the baby come?”

  “Mmm hmm, yesterday, the 21st.”

  “Oh, September 21st was my Grandmother’s birthday!”

  “I didn’t know. That’s nice.”

  “What did you name him?”

  “Zage. Spelled Z-A-G-E, like it sounds, Gage with a Z.”

  “When can I see my Grandson?” Kristen asked wistfully. “And my daughter who I haven’t seen in forever?”

  “Well, I’m thinking we could all converge on the houses at Lake Royale tomorrow?”

  “Gram and I are on our way! We’ll shop for food.”

  Ell laughed, “OK, see you soon.”

  Kristen and Ell’s Gram first drove to the shopping mall in New Bern where Kristen changed in the bathroom and Gram changed in one of the dressing rooms of a store. In wigs and completely different styles of clothing they headed out the other side of the mall. As they stepped out, a car pulled up that Kristen had rented in one of the identities that Ell had set up for her. They got in and were immediately on their way. They changed cars and clothing again at an outlet mall in Smithfield. This time the car was one Kristen owned under one of her aliases. They left that mall going west but made a U-turn to go back to I-95, both of them watching to see if anyone else made a U-turn to stay with them.

  Close to Lake Royale, a nice lake with vacation homes around it, Kristen and Gram stopped and bought groceries. When they arrived at the home Ell owned under one of her many aliases a vacation service had already opened it and readied it for occupancy.

  That evening Ell, Shan, Steve and Amy arrived with little Zage. Mary, Barrett, Dan, Lisa and Randy took the house across the street and they all began to relax into freedom. After dark they all got together in the larger house for dinner. After eating they moved into the living room to have their dessert and began to talk about their recent experiences.

  After a recounting of everyone’s prison tales Kristen said, “It’s so wonderful to see all of you again, but I’ve got to ask. What’s the plan from here?”

  Everyone looked at Ell but she shrugged and threw the question back to them. “What ideas do the rest of you have?”

  “We should all move to Europe or Central America, get a country there to give us asylum so we can live without hiding.”

  Steve shook his head, “While Stockton’s in power, I don’t think we’ll be able to live openly anywhere. If she still feels Ell’s a threat, I think she’d send a clandestine team to ‘bring us to justice.’”

  Dan asked, “I confess I don’t follow politics all that closely. What’re the chances she’ll lose the next election?”

  “Pretty unpredictable, but even if that happens, we’ve still got to figure out what to do for the next three years.”

  Ell said, “You guys should be aware that my legal teams feel there’s a pretty good chance that the Blaustein bill will be overturned. Several North Carolina legislators have started work on a bill to rescind it. Even if they can’t get it through now, if the midterm elections change the composition of congress they may be able to get it through then.” She shrugged, “So we may not have to wait until the next presidential election.”

  Steve said, “I hate to be the voice of negativity, but Stockton may continue to consider Ell to be a menace, even if the Blaustein bill is reversed.”

  Ell said, “Personally, I was planning to live most of my life anonymously rather than as Ell Donsaii anyway. I’ve even gotten pretty good at it. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of you need to get dragged into my trouble. You’ve all worked for me for a long time and may want a change in your life?” She grinned at Barrett and Mary, sitting next to each other as had been happening more and more over the years, “For instance Mary may want to make an honest man out of you big B?”
>
  The big man actually blushed and looked at the floor a moment, then he turned to Mary and got down on one knee, “Hey, Mar’, would you marry me?”

  Mary threw her arms around his neck, “Of course, you big lunk.”

  Randy elbowed him from the other side and stage whispered, “Hey, big lunk, you’re supposed to have a ring when you ask that question.”

  Barrett leaned back from Mary to look into her eyes, “I’ve had a ring for months Mar’, waiting for the perfect moment. Then the FBI came knocking and I’ve been regretting that I put it off for so long. I’ll sneak back into the old house and get it as soon as we get back there.” He frowned, “Unless the bastards took it,” he said darkly.

  Lisa started clapping and everyone else joined in. Then she turned to Ell and said, “I think I speak for everyone when I say we’d like to stay with you. Until Stockton takes her price off our heads, we can’t very well go out and get other jobs anyway.”

  “Well,” Ell said, “after my escape I started buying real estate in large quantities, all over the States and in some foreign countries as well. So we have a lot of places we could move to. My current plan is to move to a defunct farm I bought down southeast of Pittsboro. I bought some houses that were for sale nearby too, so there would be places for you guys to live. One of them would be a nice little house for newlyweds,” she winked at Barrett and Mary. We could put tunnels between them again. The farmhouse is huge and I plan to outfit some of the rooms so I can keep doing D5R type research. Shan wants to keep doing math research,” she grinned at him, “but all he needs is a place to stare off into space.”