Fare Well

Part 4 - October 16, 2331 to December 27, 2331

October 16, 2331

Western New York was beautiful. Amazing fall colors. The smell of concord grapes filling the air. But best of all was that we had unlimited time for each other without the distractions of "normal" life. We need to do this more. Somehow I had forgotten that there was anything other than normality. How does that happen so easily and so quickly? It's not that hard to get in the car and go ... away. I can't believe I've never taken Melinda to the desert. I hereby vow to remember to get away together.

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October 17, 2331

Melinda was back at work yesterday. No emergencies while she was gone. No new patients either. She was wondering if someone filed a bad report on her with Better Business Bureau or if her web ads were down or even if her receptionist was sabotaging her. It's not like her to be paranoid but then how would I feel if I had no new pups and kitties coming in for two months?

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October 18, 2331

Today Melinda called an OB/GYN friend to get some suggestions. The friend hasn't had any new pregnancies in the last two months either.

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October 19, 2331

I didn't open the office today. Spent the whole day on the phone. No OB/GYNs in the entire city have had new pregnancies in the past two months. Nor have the OB/GYNs that I called randomly in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, or New York City. I called the National Institutes of Health. I was directed to a recording of a cheerful young woman saying, "The recently reported anomalies in new pregnancy rates are well within the normal variation. The NIH assures you that there is no cause for alarm."

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October 29, 2331

Today I talked to a reporter at the newspaper, a young guy named Eddie Maxwell, who covers local controversial issues. When I told him what I was calling about, he got real quiet. Then he said he would transfer me to his boss, the chief editor. The chief editor thanked me very much for my concern. I asked him if he wanted the names and numbers I had collected yesterday. He didn't. I asked him point blank if he was going to do an article. He said the paper was pretty busy right now.

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October 30, 2331

I had to take the day off again. I needed to figure out what was going on. The whole nation doesn't stop getting pregnant for two months. It can't happen. I couldn't think of any plausible explanations. Something in the water, the air? Mass depression? Sun spots? There was no reasonable explanation. But there was one insane one.

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October 31, 2331

We had lots of trick or treaters tonight. The kids were so cute. There were the usual ghosts, vampires, kitties, aliens. It was as though the whole evening was given over to the fantasy worlds of children, made real for a night.

Melinda and I have been trying to get pregnant now for weeks. We won't give up. I can guarantee that if anyone can do it, we can. I personally won't stop trying till I drop. Seeing the kids tonight has inspired me. Maybe our efforts will shed some light on the pregnancy mystery, which I've decided I can't worry about. Two months is not forever. I need to give it the benefit of the doubt.

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November 28, 2331

We're married! I know it's just a legal formality but I'm deeply moved. Looking into each other's eyes as we said "I do" was the most intimate moment of my life. I suppose that's not literally true but I think the nature of truly intimate moments is that each one feels that way.

We've got a month to come up with a kid, before the big reception. If anyone knows all the tricks, it's Melinda. She takes her temperature 20 times a day and more than once has cancelled an appointment to run home for a quick encounter. I wonder if her ladies are as patient about that as my schnauzers.

There has not been a single word about the absence of new pregnancies in any media or by any politician. The internet, however, is filled with rumors and conspiracy theories. Of course half the stuff on the internet is fake or highly exaggerated, and that doesn't help at all.

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December 27, 2331

It was fantastic having all of my family and Melinda's family together in one place. Her family is super supportive of us. I felt at home with them right away. Unfortunately, we couldn't make the big announcement we had hoped for, though we did announce our sincere intention.

There have been no new pregnancies reported anywhere since the end of August. Melinda has patients who are 6 to 9 months pregnant. Once they have given birth, what will happen to her practice? Practice, hell. What will happen to the world?