A Wildcat Fall 8

They all glanced at one another and fell silent until Lisa finally spoke up. “So what do you think? Maybe if Jessica can investigate this guy, she might be able to locate him. At least she could do a whole bio on him, totally on the down low, and let us know.”

Teri nodded. “Are we ever going to contact him?”

Lisa shook her head. “Maybe someone isolated from us could contact him for medical information, but I don’t think we need to be friends. This guy might have a corporate job, and we can tap into his health care files.”

Sounds like spy kind of work. But I was wondering what would happen if we just sent him a message?

Lisa shook her head. “And what would you say? Like our mom used your sperm to have us, and we want a friend?”

Teri paused for a moment and laughed. “Yeah, that does sound creepy. How about if I just run up and hug him and start calling him daddy?” She smiled at her own words.

Gina laughed. “And after your heartwarming reunion, you’d want to introduce him to Jenn and show him pictures of you and Lisa performing on stage.”

Yeah, that’s a fantastic idea. He can join us for Thanksgiving with the family.

Gina shook her head. “And he’d give you hugs and kisses and buy you ice cream and a balloon.”

Teri blinked and nodded. “Would he buy me a pony?” She sighed deeply. “So I guess this isn’t going to become a lost family reunion, and I’m not going to have a father.”

Lisa hugged her little sister. “Yeah, I know that this crushes all your fantasies, but we’ve got to get his sperm sample to a research place that can examine his DNA and make sure it’s still good. Maybe you got the bad batch, you know, like your DNA went bad or something like that.”

Teri shook her head. “Thanks for lumping me in with the box of broken toys. I’ve wondered what the research is on intersex DNA origins and where my DNA went kablooey. If I’m the DNA that went bad, like chicken salad with mayonnaise left out in the sun on a school trip, Jenn and I don’t want our babies to have genetic problems.”

Gina laughed. “I love chicken salad, and I love mayo. Curried chicken salad is one of my favorites.

“Yeah, another nickname for me: Chicken Salad, or is it going to be Bad Mayo?”

Gina was laughing. “I like Mayo. That could be your name when you check into a hotel, Margaret Mayo.”

I already have my check-in name. It’s Joe Bach. You know, kind of like the composer.

“Except different. Nah, I think you’d be too easy to search out.” Gina was thinking critically. “But I’ve got a great name, Joan Weston. She’s the most famous Roller Derby queen of all time.”

Tiffany was looking her up in her phone, “The Blonde Bomber.”

Gina gazed up at the sky and smiled. “She started it all.”

Jenn smiled and kissed Teri. “Honey, I don’t care if our baby is intersex or you want to call yourself Joe Mayo. I’d still love to take care of her. But I bet we can do intervention stuff, especially if we know what to look for before she’s born.”

Grace nodded. “They can do DNA testing on babies while they’re still in the womb. Give you time to prepare.”

Smith was listening and turned to Lisa. “Is there a chance you are carrying a recessive gene that could pass on intersex DNA, too?”

Lisa looked at Smith. “I would love any baby we had. If it were ours, I would lay down my life for her.”

Smith nodded. “Are we having girls? All I know is all about boy bands.”

Teri was trying to be serious. “I think we’re getting really ahead of ourselves. But maybe we should put a hold on babies until some questions are answered. God knows, Jenn doesn’t need any excuses. I think that she’d love to be pregnant right now.”

Jenn hugged Teri and kissed her. “But only with your baby, Rock Star. And she will be ours and perfect regardless of her DNA.”

Teri looked puzzled. “Why are we talking like all these babies are going to be girls?”

Gina laughed. “It’s a baby moratorium until we get some answers. But we all vote for girls ‘cause girls are perfect and boys are ‘tupid.”

Tiff looked serious as she hugged Mike. “We could still get preggers, baby. My DNA is all warm and cuddly.”

Mike kissed her gently. “I love your DNA and want to be the one who makes a baby with you. We can start tonight.”

Tiffany kissed him on the neck and whispered in his ear before gently biting his earlobe.

Gina laughed. “Why do I think that you and Mike will have no trouble conceiving a baby? The two of you look like you’re ready to celebrate already.”

Tiffany kissed Gina on the lips. Then she looked her straight in the eyes. “I asked Mike if he’d impregnate you so we can have two perfect babies.”

Gina kissed her back, then looked at Mike. “That’s kind of you to be so generous with your wonderful, caring boy toy. But what happens when he falls in love with me and doesn’t want to come back to you?”

Tiffany paused to think. “Hmmm. Well, we can’t lose our drummer, so I’ll just have to shoot him.”

Gina nodded and fist-bumped. “That’s fair. Wildcats first, right?”

Tiffany nodded. “Seems only right. Kinda like how the Black Widow spider kills their mate after it gets pregnant.”

Mike listened and then turned to Smith. “I think I’ve joined a cult.”

Smith looked around and laughed. “A hell of a cult.”

Gina smirked. “But wouldn’t everyone be comparing our two babies? Mine would be so adorable and cuddly with her curly brown hair and sparkly eyes. Gorgeous.”

“Mine would be blonde and beautiful.”

“Mine would be brilliant.”

“Mine would be beautiful and blonde, just like her mother.”

“And mine would have great rhythm and play in the dirt.”

“And mine would be blonde and beautiful.

“I can see our ditzy blonde bassist losing her baby at the baggage claim.”

“Oh, fuck you, wiseass. If Mike were my baby daddy, she would be the most beautiful baby of all time. My genes are super genes!”

Teri laughed. “Great name for a band - Super Genes!”

Gina was nodding. “Well, Smith played with EBR, Eaten By Raptors. We could have a band called DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid!”

Jenn and Amy came over and sat down next to Teri, who turned and smiled at them. “This surprise party is so much fun. It’s great.”

Amy whispered, “I know you’re having fun, but you need to be thinking about calling it a night. You need to watch your stamina. You need to save your energy so that you can heal quickly and get back on your feet.”

Jenn encouraged Teri to get up. “C’mon, Rock Star. Let’s tell everyone good night.”

Teri sighed as she stood. “Yeah, you’re both right. I’m getting tired, and it’s going to take me a few extra minutes to get ready for bed. First night home, and I still have to dilate one more time.”

With that, Teri walked around, thanking everyone and reminding them to visit. Then, she let her mom and Jenn lead her back downstairs.

After Teri took a shower and settled into bed, she could barely keep her eyes open as Jenn held her tightly. Teri smiled and kissed her face. “Well, we did it, huh?”

Jenn nodded. “Yep, we did. I know that it’s important for my wife to be happy.”

Teri paused to reflect. “Yeah, I’m gonna be your wife. I never thought about being a wife. I have to learn a lot of things to be a proper wife for you.”

“A proper wife, huh? Like when I get pregnant, do you want to share the nursing duties?

“You mean, like, give our baby warm bottles of your milk late at night while you rest?”

“Well, more than that. I mean, you have ovaries that produce estrogen. And I read that the doctor can start you on a prescription that will enhance your breasts and milk glands. You’ll be able to feed our baby with the milk your body produces.”

Teri began to cry. “That’s crazy. Our baby is going to have some of my genes and be fed with my milk. And I’m going to be a wife. A year ago, sitting in study hall, I never thought that this would be happening.” She wiped the tears running down her face.

Jenn smiled. “Is that good?”

She smiled. “It’s seriously crazy. All this stuff was hidden from me until I started with the Wildcats. And then I discovered who I really am, which started me on a life-changing adventure. I mean, it’s like a video game, but it’s real. It’s like some crazy movie where I discover that I’m the son of Poseidon. Or my real parents were wizards. Instead, I discover that I’m intersex, and not who I thought I was.”

Teri hugged Jenn tightly. “It was so simple to slide into being Tasha and then evolve to be Teri. I don’t feel like an impostor. And really, getting my genitals lined up with the rest of my changing body is a gift. Sure, it’s still really weird hanging around old friends. Tony’s such a horn dog, and Don wants to be more than friends. I should wear a sign that says I’ve always liked girls. You know that hasn’t changed.”

Jenn was nodding. “So if I wasn’t here, would you make a play for Gina or some other woman who likes girls?”

Teri paused to think and shrugged. “I don’t know because there are too many what-ifs in the way. It’s really simple to say no because I love you. And all of this is so crazy ‘cause we’re talking about bringing a new life into this world and I’d really be part of it.”

“So, do you want to start now?”

Teri gulped and shook her head. “We need more information before we start. We have to track down my sperm daddy.”

“Sperm daddy!”

“Yeah, not really a song title, huh?”

In the morning, Jessica Jade was excited about her new mission. Before she left the farm near New Hope, she and Mac tied up all the loose ends. She kissed him goodbye and headed down to the city to the company where Teri’s mom said she bought the sperm. She met Lisa in front of the building in downtown Philly that afternoon.

The receptionist was extremely helpful after finishing the identification process of checking Lisa’s birth certificate and reviewing copies of her mom’s ID. Thirty minutes later, they were looking over the records of John (Jack) NMN Dempsey while they had coffee at Starbucks.

Lisa glanced at Jessica. “What does NMN mean?”

“No middle name.”

Lisa seemed annoyed. “Oh. You do know your acronyms. So this guy could be a John Doe, with that fake name.”

Jessica wanted to explain. “Well, not necessarily. Even though the records are twenty-five years old, this is what was written down. We know that before donating sperm, Jack Dempsey had to undergo a multi-stage screening process that included physical, blood, and urine tests, as well as genetic testing. Of course, we don’t have a clear picture of what genetic testing involved twenty-five years ago. But the good news is that they have ten more sperm samples in storage, so we can purchase one to have new tests run. And we need to find a reputable lab. Tracking down the guy is one part of the quest. The other part is finding out if his DNA is A-OK.”

“DNA is A-OK. You’re quite the comedian with your rhymes.”

You truly master your acronyms when serving in the military.

I always forget your past. It never occurs to me that you were all kinds of special forces.

“Yeah, I only wish I could forget my past sometimes. It’s probably as deeply ingrained inside my brain as growing up with a crazy father. But I made the best friends in the service, and, of course, fell in love with my husband, too. However, all that killing and the horrors of war are crippling. Now we’re helping our old military team deal with their past and helping to keep them moving forward. We work with everyone else who needs support to get through the day.”

Lisa shook her head. “I’ve kinda ignored everything you and your buddies went through. Sometimes I feel like I’m pretty selfish. Should I feel guilty ignoring the world and its awful politics?”

Jessica shrugged. “Well, that's a yes and no answer. I don’t think that we should put war on a pedestal. Killing people, regardless of who they are, is such a wrong thing to do.”

Jessica hugged Lisa. “And no. I think you need to keep yourself sane and do whatever it takes to stay that way. I believe that if we see something, we should say something. And I do stand up and vote. I try to elect the local people that I admire and know will do the right thing for us. But I’m not a news junkie who can’t put down the remote. I think twenty-four hour news explodes your mind.”

Lisa shook her head. “Yeah, sometimes that's really hard for me to want to vote when both candidates just don’t appeal. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s easy not to vote.”

Jessica frowned. “Yeah, but that’s the way to just give up and give control to someone else. I have a simple philosophy. I view both candidates as bus drivers. I know that neither of them is headed exactly where I want to go, so I just choose the bus that is going closer to where I want to be.”

Lisa sighed. “That’s a great philosophy. But back to the basics. We still need to find a lab that can analyze DNA.”

Jessica nodded. “Your mom works with a doctor. He can get us a good recommendation. And after that, we can talk to a genetic counselor, a medical geneticist, or even a forensic scientist to help us figure out the answers to what we want to know.”

Lisa appeared quite surprised. “How’d you know all of that?”

Jessica laughed. “Yeah, don’t I sound smart? We secret Wonder Woman types have this mysterious place where we go to get all the answers. But if I told you, I’d have to kill you!”

Lisa smiled. “Yeah, uh-huh. You Googled it.”

Lisa took out her phone and paused to read. “Oh, wow! The answer is yes; a person’s DNA can be tested to predict whether they are a carrier for genetic defects. So Jenn, Smith, and I could also have our DNA tested. That’s great!”

Jessica smiled. “And remember what Grace said. Even after a woman gets pregnant, she can have blood work done to give her more info.”

Lisa continued reading. “I wonder if we could get our John Doe, what’s his name, to get some blood work done.”

Yep. We’re going to talk more and more about Jack, no middle name, Dempsey.