Chapter 16: Kentucky Woman

Janelle was toolin’ down the Interstate, I-24 to be exact, and she was already in a foul mood. Then, as she was about to exit near Paducah and drop down to her childhood home in Mayfield, Kentucky, that song came on the radio. “Kentucky woman, She shines with her own kind of light” -- Neil Diamond singing Kentucky Woman. No matter what the singer intended, all Janelle ever heard was “shines with the wrong kind of light.” That certainly seemed true for this Kentucky woman.

Janelle was smart, with a capital ‘S’ and held a MS in geology from the University of Arizona following her BS from the University of Michigan. In the short years since graduation, she had developed a solid expertise in seismology and hydrology. Lot of good that did her, her job was gone with the arrival of the Sa’arm, and her latest jerk boyfriend was gone when informed of her new pregnancy. Janelle’s wrong kind of light consistently attracted the wrong kind of man, and as a result, even her sponsor level CAP held marginal comfort. So far, her luck held true - she had already been on the wrong side of the gray barriers of four extractions.

Growing up, Janelle was the middle child and only girl among four brothers. She ran almost wild with them and their friends - fishing, hunting, swimming, and playing in the dirt. She was a crack shot and provided the family with table game and fish on a regular basis. You’d think she’d have learned about boys and men. Nope.

It was as if she had neon lights above her saying “sucker,” “gullible,” and “easy.” The first two were dead on, the last - not really. It didn’t help that she had deep auburn hair over a round freckled face mounted on a killer body. As is often the case, the less brash boys - then men - felt they had no chance, and the jerks circled like buzzards around road kill.

As soon as her breasts began to swell and her menses started, so did the horniness. Throughout high school and then college, it seemed that she was always horny. Her brothers shielded her in high school. They weren’t exactly over protective, but they steered her away from those she later realized were the worst of the predators. You know, the bad boys who were attracted to her.

Still, she’d lost her cherry at sixteen - then been dropped two weeks later. The beating inflicted by her brothers on the stud pretty much kept the assholes away until she graduated. Two plus years of unrequited horniness set her up to go wild when she departed Kentucky for Michigan. She was somewhat more restrained than the label ‘wild’ would indicate, but she did her share of sleeping around - always with someone who’d dump her.

She changed venue to Arizona for her MS. In academics, she continued to excel. In her relationships, she struck out. After a few more, she stuck to Bob, her dildo, until she was seduced by her apartment mate, Charlotte. That kept her half satisfied until she graduated.

Janelle exited onto forty-five and headed south. When she reached Mayfield’s city limits, she headed for Paris Road and her favorite treat before driving out to the farm to face the music. Over the years, the chicken place had relocated. The big sign now read ‘KFC’ instead of ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken,’ but when she entered, it was still Mr. Graham who greeted her. “Hello, Janelle, I suppose you want the usual?”

The ‘usual’ was a pint of Kentucky fried chicken livers. The Mayfield franchise was one of the few that carried chicken livers as a regular menu item, and Mr. Graham fried them up fresh as a special order for in-the-know customers. Janelle loved them.

“Hello Mr. Graham. Yes, please, but make it a large bucket,” she replied. “I’m heading out to the farm, and the bros will not take it well if I arrive with an empty box.”

The entry door opened, and a young man dresses in light purple scrubs entered and looked over. “Janelle?”

She turned. “Paul? Wow, you’ve changed!”

“Yeah, I suppose,” came the response. “I haven’t seen you since you left after high school.”

Paul had been one of her brothers’ friends who always seemed to be around. He had even ‘defended her honor’ along with her brothers when one of the predators got too persistent. Then, some when around her senior year, he had faded into the background and almost disappeared.

Looking at his scrubs, Janelle asked, “Say, you wouldn’t know of a good OB-GYN? I’m preggers and need to find a local.”

Paul’s face fell, then he seemed to shake himself and recover. “Well, it happens that I do. I hold two jobs - well actually more than two since the big nurses’ extraction down at Murray State. One of them is PA - physician’s assistant - at the Wisteria Women’s Health Center.”

She smiled, and he continued, “Here, hand me your cell phone. I’ll call mine, and you’ll have my number. Call me, and I’ll be sure that they get you in.”

Janelle’s reception at the large old farmhouse was mixed. Her parents were long dead, and only the oldest and youngest brothers remained to run the farm. Their wives were childhood friends - warm and welcoming. The kids loved their ‘auntie.’

On the other hand, both men were highly pissed that their sister was pregnant with no ‘significant other.’ Further, there was no one they could lay hand or fist upon to rectify the situation. The women listened to her description, and hugged her protectively when she said, “Listen, he was a jerk and a jackass, but he was healthy, very smart, and good looking. My baby will be fine, and we’ll all love him or her.”

“You don’t know the gender?!”

“Nope,” Janelle explained. “Too early, but I ran into Paul at KFC, and he promised to get me an appointment with an OB doc. I think it is about time an ultrasound will let me know. I plan to use Mom or Dad’s name.”

The discussions turned to updates on family and friends, the recent extraction in Murray, the seeming abdication and disappearance of Earth First Families, and the resulting frantic searches. There was definitely a shortage of women willing to associate with a known Firster, and the men were getting desperate.

“Listen, Sis, you need to be very careful,” her oldest brother explained. “Be aware all the time, and if you can, make sure a man you know and trust is with you. You can still carry a handgun without a permit, so take Dad’s old .38 police special whenever you are out.”

The following morning, Paul answered her call after the first ring. In response to Janelle’s inquiry, he told her there had been a cancellation with one of the OB doctors, and he could get her in at two o’clock that day.

Upon her arrival, she was asked for her insurance information and given a stack of forms and health history inquiries to complete. When they were done, Paul called her into an exam room with a pretty teen. “This is Jennifer,” he explained. “She will be our chaperone. Typically, a female RN or PA would do the initial workup, but with the nursing shortage, you are stuck with me - Jenny is a recent addition for our mutual protection.”

Jenny smiled and handed Janelle a paper gown. “We are going to leave you to change into this ball gown. When you are ready, push the call button over there on the wall, and we’ll come back.” They turned and exited the room.

Upon their return, Paul took her vitals, recorded them, measured and weighed her, and went over her medical history. He seemed to perk up when she revealed that the future father was no longer in her life.

When Doctor Wilson entered the room, she told Janelle that Paul would continue to help follow her case and asked if she would be comfortable with his presence in the room during the remainder of the examination. Janelle smiled shyly and consented.

After the initial get-to-know-you round of questions and hands-on exam, Doctor Wilson said, “Okay, time to look inside. We’ll do the pelvic first, and then Paul can do the ultrasound. I’ll stay here and watch with you.”

Janelle had been sitting on the examination table, but now Paul reclined her and positioned the leg rests. When he and the doctor lifted and positioned Janelle’s legs, her paper ‘ball gown’ slipped, revealing her curly red mons. Paul stared openmouthed and exclaimed, “Janelle, that’s the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen!”

Jenny giggled, Doctor Wilson frowned, and Janelle whispered, “Thank you Paul.”

As the exam proceeded, Janelle learned that she would likely need both parents’ names. She was carrying twins, but it was too soon to confirm the early indications of male and female.

It didn’t take too long for the habitually active Janelle to feel confined and stir crazy, so when Paul called and asked to take her to dinner, she was more than ready to accept. He was very shy and asked if they could take Jenny along as chaperone. “After all, I was out of line with that comment, and besides, with all the predators running loose, she’s been afraid to go anywhere alone.”

Janelle liked what she had seen of Jenny and readily agreed. “Paul, I’ve known you since forever and no question that I trust you - even with my pretty pussy,” she teased. “Besides, Jenny seems a nice girl, of course you should bring her.”

Janelle needed to satisfy another craving, so the three of them headed to Benton and the Catfish Kitchen Restaurant. They were barely served, when a gray curtain surrounded them, and a tiny young blonde with braided hair approached. “Janelle Middleton, Paul Brady, and Jennifer Purdy, this is a Confederacy extraction. If you wish to consider extraction, come with me. After I explain your options, you’ll be eligible to make your decisions. If you decline, I will return you here.”

Janelle, unwilling to forgo her catfish dinner, hooked her arm through Jenny’s, lifted her plate, and used her free hand to grab Paul’s hand. They each stated agreement and followed Hannah through the portal.

Half an hour earlier: Dora suddenly alerted Hannah, <One of my surveillance drones has identified an opportunity to fill a need. We have a geologist, an RN specialist, and an acceptable concubine candidate eating dinner at a small restaurant. I can have the drone drop a transporter and curtain around their table and have you in and out in no time.>