Nineteen 16.

Covid 19.Trying to go forward.

©Copyright to Beverly Taff 2020.

List of Characters.
Terry Harrington. Fugitive boy marked for compulsory transitioning.
Samantha, (Sam) First transitioned kid Terry meets on the streets.
Theodora (Dora) Leader of the transitioned kid gang.
Jessica. (Jessie) The only natal girl in Dora’s gang.
Charlie Member of the transitioned gang.
Jan Another member of the transitioned gang.
Ron Café owner who lost his daughter to egg-snatchers.
Doctor McTavish. Female paediatrician
Doctor Cummins Professorial Consultant Paediatrician
Sarah. Senior Midwife at the maternity unit
Dawn Very young trainee nurse.
Eleanor Jessica’s mother.
Diana Terri’s mother.
Marek. Refugee from ISIS terrorists in Syria.
George. Clever Insightful lab tech.

Part 16

Having established a reasonable system of security at the Bristol fertility clinic, Terri and Jessica deemed their lives to be reasonably secure and they settled down hopefully for a calm few weeks until word came back from Marek in the Middle east. The news arrived in the person of Marek himself who was immediately interrogated by the security forces and the medical sorority in the form of the newly assembled ‘United Nation’s Women’s Fertility Council.’

After delivering all the information he had gathered to both communities, he naturally looked forward to having his female cousin Jamal brought to the UK and enjoying the benefits of the exciting developments surrounding the ‘Y and X’ gametes. When the agreement was delayed for unspecified reasons Marek was understandably angry.

He still worked at the clinic because he had to maintain the pretence that he had stolen the sperm and sneaked it out of Britain undetected; so inevitably, his anger became known to Jessica who saw Marek quite often in and around the clinic. After promising that she would ‘look into it’; it was only a matter of hours before Marek received confirmation that his cousin Jamal was on her way to Britain.

He was naturally overjoyed and when he met Jessica again that same evening under the favoured cherry tree, he was beside himself with joy and relief.

“How did you manage that?” Marek begged. “I am off to Heathrow as we speak to meet Jamal, off the plane.”

“Ask no questions Marek, you’ll be told no lies.” Jessica replied. “Which hospital will your cousin be attending?”

“This one! Right here in Bristol. She’s my only living relative, I think.”

“I’m pleased for you then.”

“How did you get them to move so quickly.” Marek asked.

“How do you think?” Jessica responded enigmatically.

“Are you in touch with ‘super-dad’?” Marek grinned.

“You know he’s the father of my daughters, what do you think?”

“Can I meet him?”

“Sorry Marek, nobody meets him, even I don’t get to meet him. I only communicate by encrypted phone.”

“But how does he deliver the sperm?”

“I don’t know and what I don’t know, shouldn’t harm me.” Jessica lied. “You’ve seen the dangers out there in the middle east, you should know better than most.”

Marek nodded despondently and sighed as he stood up.

“Ah-h well. I should be thankful for small mercies. Super-dad must have a hell of a lot of clout to get the British establishment to jump so smartly.”

“He does.” Jessica concurred. “Just be thankful he’s on your side.”

“Well I did have to risk my neck but it was worth it. I’m off to meet my cousin so I’ll see you after the weekend.”

“Has she got somewhere to stay?”

“She’ll be sofa-surfing in my flat. It’s the only place she will feel safe. As children, we were together like brother and sister in my grandfather’s house in Aleppo until the Isis War.”

“You’ve no other living relatives at all?” Jessica pressed.

“Don’t know, I don’t think so. If I have, I’m hoping Jamal might know.”

“Well good luck. Bring her to meet me when she’s good and ready, I know you’ll have a lot to catch up on.”

With these words they prepared to separate but not before Marek had stolen a polite kiss on Jessica’s cheek. It was only a ‘lip-to-cheek’ peck but by Muslim standards, Marek had been remarkably bold insofar as he had broken an Islamic taboo. Kissing an unrelated woman, in public in the grounds of the clinic.

As they separated, Jessica grinned. “Careful Marek, don’t let the Imam catch you doing that.”

“Piss on the imams. After seeing what damage Islamism has caused to my family and my country, I don't think I'll ever set foot in another mosque.”

Jessica shrugged sympathetically. She was not prepared to invade another’s issues, she had enough of her own. Besides, Terri was coming back that evening after one of his seeming ‘ walk-abouts’.

ooo000ooo

The key in the double lock alerted Jessica to Terri’s return.

“Dirty stop-out!” She grinned.”

“Oo-ooh!” Terri sighed. “Those girls!”

“What have they done now?”

“Nothing! Well nothing dangerous. They’ve confirmed they’re pregnant but the silly buggers went out and celebrated.”

“And I suppose Miss Sensible couldn’t resist joining them.”

Terri crimsoned slightly as she confessed with a subdued murmur.

“Uuhm; something like that. Jan’s a bit of a twat!”

“What’s she done?”

“Silly bitch was so drunk, she let it be known she was immune to Covid 21.”
“To whom?”

“Half of bloody Bristol; or at least it seemed like that. Enough anyway, to cause the shit to fly.”

“Well it was all going to come out sooner or later.”

“Later would have been better. George and the Professor’s team are not quite ready yet. You watch, tomorrow morning the Nightingale hospital will be surrounded by thousands of hopefuls.”

So why did she open her big mouth?” Jessica asked.

“Oh their celebrations got out of hand, a crowd gathered and the police tried to send them home. They arrested Jan and she started bellowing that she was immune, she had been vaccinated and they had no right to arrest her. But of course, dozens celebrating with her hadn’t been vaccinated. The police were right to try and break it up.”

“Much of a riot?”

“No, not really, by and large people were happy to hear Jan’s protestations but her words spread like wild-fire. Especially when she showed the police the letter from the hospital authorities. They let her go but that only gave credence to her claims. I fucked off. The rumour mill has already been working for the past month or so that there was some sort of vaccine being prepared. The last place I wanted to be was caught up in all that shit.”

“So where did you spend the night?”

“Ron’s café. I slept on Dora’s sofa.”

“Funnily enough, I believe you.”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“No. That’s the truth. Where’s Dora now?”

“Working in Ron’s She’s coming around later. Excited mother to be and all that. Is that coffee fresh?”

“No but it’s hot.”

Terri poured herself a mug and savoured the over-worked groundings. She liked her coffee strong and black. As she settled in her favourite armchair the phone rang.

“Get that love, I’m about to feed the twins.” Jessica called from the nursery.

“Hello?”

“Ah. Glad I caught you,” the professor replied. “Where you at that business in town last night?”

“I was but I left before it got out of hand. Dora and I slinked away when the police broke it up.”

“Thank god for that. It’s pandemonium down at the Nightingale.”

“I thought it would be. Not my fault. Speak to Jan.”

“I don’t have to speak to her. She’s spoken to half the press in Bristol.”

“Oh shit! What’s she been saying?”

“She’s suggested there is a connection between ‘super-dad’ and the vaccine kid. Just about the only thing she hasn’t revealed is your feminine persona. The internet is going daft. Terri is the only viable disguise that Terry has now. I suggest you lay low. I’m going down to the Nightingale now to try and stuff some of the cat back into the bag, God knows how.”

“I’ll murder that stupid, big-mouthed bitch.”

“Not if I get to her first!” The professor replied.

“Just out of curiosity, when will the vaccine be ready?”

“About a fortnight we think, and it’s only about a hundred thousand doses.”

“From twenty centilitres. That’s pretty good isn’t it?”

“There’s sixty bloody million hopefuls in UK alone. When are you prepared to give your next blood donation?”

“The blood bank have told me no earlier than two weeks’ time.”

“Exactly, do the maths. Seven thousand million!”

“You’ll only be treating sick people and medics won’t you?”

“So far that’s about a hundred million and the bug is still expanding. Covid 21 is far more virulent than 19. As I said, do the maths.”
“But you’re researching all the time,” Terri offered.

“And it’s proving harder to fight than 19. If, or more probably when your identity becomes common knowledge, you’ll be living like a specimen in a bloody zoo.”

“Yeah. Don’t remind me. I could kill that bloody Jan, especially after I saved her bloody life! Drunken big-mouthed bitch!”

“Yes, well it’s spilt milk now. I think the best thing you can do is move away altogether from Bristol.”

“To where?” Jessica asked as she entered the room with a baby in each arm. “Wherever we go, Terri has to deliver sperm and blood. Her secret will be out within months every time we move somewhere new.”

Professor Cummins nodded reluctantly. Jessica made sense. Additionally, if the couple kept moving around, security arrangements would have to be perpetually renewed and updated. There was too much scope for mistakes. Stuck for an immediate workable solution, the professor ducked giving an answer.

“Well, I have to go down to the Nightingale hospital now to see what damage limitations can be enacted.”

“But just by going down there, you’ll give credence to the rumoured connection between the fertility clinic and the Nightingale.” Terri objected.

“It’s hardly a rumour anymore,” the professor conceded.

After helping Jessica get settled comfortably with a twin on each breast, Terri sagged despondently into another armchair. Her depressed expression left no doubts in the professor’s mind. A silent despondency settled on the room which Terri tried to lift by making a pot of tea but her efforts proved ineffective. Nobody could decide on a workable way forward that did not involve securing Terri’s safety. Half an hour later, there was a knock on the apartment door. After checking at the ‘spy-lens’ Terri recognised Dora and let her in. She looked around as she sensed the gloomy mood.

“Last night, I’m thinking.”

“Yes, and how it’ll affect Terri’s safety or security. Any ideas?” The professor replied.

“Well nobody but us knows that Terri is Terry, nor that Terri is super-dad.” Dora observed as she added, “or that Terri supplies the blood for the vaccine.”

“About six people know about superdad, namely You, me, Terri, Jessica, George and Aggie.” The prof observed.
“And about twenty know about the source of the blood. Apart from us six, there’s Jan, Charlie and the medical staff at the Nightingale.” Dora listed the nightingale staff she knew.

“I know most of those people,” the professor declared, “We should be able to close things down provided big-mouth Jan has realised she has got to shut up.”

“The sooner we drive the message into her drunken bloody skull; the better.” Terri cursed

“Well, I’m off down the nightingale as soon as my work ends here, in about ten minutes.” Professor Higgins declared. “D’ you want to come with me, you might knock some sense into that stupid girl’s head.”

“I’d love to.” Dora agreed. “She’s now living in the Nightingale mothering hostel attached to the clinic. No need to go into the clinic, especially if Terri’s coming. Less seen, soonest mended.”

“I’d best stay here,” Terri said, “let’s not risk more exposure.”

“Sensible girl,” Professor Cummins agreed.

The professor gulped his cooling tea down in one final swig then motioned to Dora with his head.

“Come on.”

Terri and Jessica stared at the empty apartment doorway as the pair scurried off. In the professor’s car Dora pumped him about the vaccine.

“Will they be able to up the ‘ante’ with Terri’s blood, you know, find a way of making more vaccine from Terri’s blood?”

As they picked their way through the evening traffic the professor explained how it worked and different ways to try and ‘up the ante’ as Dora had put it.

“Normal people only donate blood every three to four months and then only a pint at a time. For now, the plan is to start treating exposed medical staff and infected patients who are at risk. There’s not enough to go around vaccinating everybody but the good news is the vaccine seemingly works retroactively. It curse those infected and that’s a huge plus.”

“Is this going to cause trouble with other countries?” Dora wondered.

Professor Cummins rolled his eyes as he nodded.

“Oh it’s bound to. I’ll leave that to the politicians.”

Dora giggled.

“Good on yer Proff. Make the bastards earn their diplomacy credentials.”

They both chuckled as the professor’s car swept through the old Edwardian gates.