Free Last Days (Last Days Trilogy #1) by Jacqueline Druga Page B

you have to give me this one.”
    Dr. Genevieve sighed. “But the procedure taken before...”
    Marcus cut him off. “Before, we didn’t know who we were dealing with. We do now. I know. I believe it a remarkable coincidence that this choice is happening at this point in the generation batch. Tell me, Doctors. Tell me to move ahead. Do not stall. Let’s do what we set out to do in the timetable we intended.” Marcus took a step forward. “Please.”
     
    A Roy Orbison song soothed the lab where Rose and four lab workers waited when Marcus returned. The outer door buzzed and the lab doors banged open as Marcus moved through like a rocket, his lab jacket flapping. “Rose.” He pointed. “Get everything in order. Joseph, gather the nuclei. Tom, get the in-vitro tubes ready. Get me batch four.” Marcus moved across into the next lab and toward his office. “I’ll be right back!”
    Rose followed. “Dr. Leon, what are you doing?”
    Inside, Marcus grabbed an eraser from his desk and stepped to the chalkboard. In one sweep the slash marks vanished. He turned with a smile. “Erasing my errors.” He dropped the eraser and strode from the office. “No more failures. It’s time to succeed.”
     

Seville, Ohio
     
    Reggie tromped her way through the piling snow to her father’s shop, her wet toes reminding her continuously that she needed new boots. Unable to park in his lot, she’d left her pick-up a half a block down the street. She smiled through the weather, though thinking of how easily she’d be able to afford new boots now.
    After greeting Grace, the perennial secretary, in the front office, she headed for the garage and was assaulted with the usual noises of men working, and then by the sight of Herbie’s plumber pants crack. She held her breath and inched her way over to her father who was spray painting the side of a car.
    She tapped him on the shoulder. “Dad.”
    “Hey, Reg.” He kept working.
    “I have to talk to you! It’s important!” she shouted. “Can you shut that off?”
    “Are you dying?” Kyle yelled.
    “No!”
    “Seth okay?!”
    “Yes!”
    “Then just talk loud, because I promised Huey I’d have this done today!”
    Reggie folded her arms and hunched down to her father. “I’m going to Chicago to see Marcus for a few days! I leave tomorrow morning! Can you watch Seth until Tuesday?”
    “I’ll watch him!” Kyle kept working. Reggie didn’t move. “What about work?”
    “I don’t need to work anymore!”
    “Oh? Did you hit the lottery?”
    “Sort of,” Reggie mumbled. “I’m helping Marcus!”
    “How!”
    “I’m having the clone baby,” Reggie whispered.
    “What was that?”
    After glancing sidelong at Herbie, Reggie screamed. “I’m having the baby for Marcus!”
    Silence. Kyle stopped painting. Herbie stopped sanding.
    With a toss of his tool, Herbie was up and stomping across the garage. “I knew it.” He grabbed his coat and headed to the door. “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.” The door slammed as he left.
    “Damn it, Reg!” Kyle shouted. “If Marcus is going to knock you up, you might wait to tell me until after the Anderson car’s done! Thank you very much!”
    “Daddy, I’m not getting knocked up by Marcus.”
    “Oh.” Kyle shifted his eyes. “I’ll find Herbie and tell him.”
    “I’m getting knocked up for Marcus.”
    “Make up your mind, Reggie, either you’re having Marcus’ baby or not. What? Doesn’t he want to make a kid the old fashioned way?”
    “You might say that. I’m going to be the surrogate mother for the clone.”
    The compressor turned back on and Kyle glared at his daughter. “Over my dead body.”
    “Dad!” Reggie shouted as Kyle squatted back down. “I told him yes. And... I’m old enough to make up my own mind!”
    “Apparently you’re not!” Kyle yelled.
    “They’re sending a plane for me tomorrow! I’ll be on it.”
    “Like hell you will!”
    “Dad!” Reggie tried to reason.