Chapter 9

The four of us went into the Clinic. Jennifer went up to the desk to check in, with me behind her, while Chuck took Toby over to some chairs, to wait. The receptionist looked up at us. “Can I help you?”

“Yes. Jennifer Patrick, I have an appointment today with Doctor Beeson.”

“Okay, is your information still the same from your last visit?”

“Uh, no. Home address is now 6105 East Illinois Avenue, still Hutchinson, 67501.” She gave her our basic home phone number, not the unlisted one. “I’m still covered under the school’s insurance through the end of the year,” she mentioned to me.

“That’s something else we’ll talk to Emily about tonight. We’ll need to get someone in as a Human Resources person, to handle benefits for our employees. For us, insurance isn’t really going to matter a whole lot. We’ll end up being self-pay for everything, I imagine.”

The receptionist said, “Okay, I’ve got you checked in. One of his nurses will be with you in just a moment.”

We sat down, away from where Chuck was sitting with Toby. “Nervous?”

She nodded. “Just a little. This is ... my life is basically perfect now. The only reason I’m actually keeping this appointment is to put some closure on things for me, if that makes sense.”

I nodded. “I’ve done more reading on psychology, and it’s perfectly logical. Are you going to take Kennedy back as your last name?”

She shyly smiled. “No. It might be confusing to Toby, but probably not. I’ve done some talking to Mike ... the electronic one ... and he did some legal research. I...” She was interrupted when a nurse came out, calling her name. Jennifer got up, then held her hand out so I’d come with her. The nurse wasn’t paying a lot of attention until we got close to her, she was looking at the chart.

“Hi, Jenni...” She blinked a couple of times, then looked at her paperwork again. “I’m sorry, did I call the wrong name? Jennifer Patrick.”

“That’s me. I know it’s been a month since I’ve been in, but there’s been a few changes in things.”

The nurse blinked again, then inhaled deeply. “Come with me.” She led us through the door, into the back. Once we were in the back, she walked into an empty room. “Okay, I didn’t want to cause a scene out there. What are you trying to pull?”

“Louise, isn’t it? I think we met at last year’s Christmas Party, before Stephen and I had to leave due to his drinking ... I assure you, I’m not pulling anything.”

Louise looked befuddled, so she went back onto routine as her guide. “Okay. Um, fine. Come with me.” She led us into a different room. “Go ahead and get undressed, put this gown on. We need to get another mammogram done, to check the spread.”

“Uh, no,” Jennifer said. “I can’t have x-rays done.”

“Excuse me? We need to do another series, before we do the biopsy,” Louise said.

“Ma’am, how about you simply get the doctor, so I can explain things to him,” I said.

The nurse looked at me like I had three heads. “I don’t know who you think you are, son, but...”

I cut her off. “I think I’m Cal Lewis, and I’m the one that funds both the hospital and this clinic. So, how about please do what I just asked?”

She blinked, then turned, walking out of the room in a huff. “I don’t think you made any points with Louise just then, Cal.”

“At least you already know that having x-rays done while pregnant is a bad thing. Even at two weeks, although I’m not exactly sure how it would affect our child.” I smiled at her, thinking about that.

She leaned over and gave me a kiss. “You’re a sweet man, Cal. I love you.”

There was a knock at the door, and a man wearing a white lab coat came in. He was in his mid-40’s, dark hair, and had thick glasses on. “Louise tells me there’s a...” He just stopped. “Okay, this isn’t funny. Where’s Jennifer?”

“I’m right here, Doctor Beeson. Yes, it’s me. Before you go off, how about sitting down and getting the explanation.”

He leaned back against the door. “If you’re Jennifer Patrick, I’ll eat my stethoscope.”

I laughed. “Would you like some steak sauce or other flavoring? I’m sure the rubber isn’t going to taste that good otherwise. First, do you know Wanda DuPree, down at the Department of Revenue?”

He nodded. “Every man in town knows Wanda.”

I glanced at Jennifer. “License.” She pulled it out, handing it to him. “Please note the comments on the back. If you’d care to call Wanda, or Grandpa, either one...”

“You’re Cal Lewis, aren’t you? Okay, Louise was muttering some kid was saying he owned the hospital and clinic, and I needed to shut him down. My youngest is in your Engineering Physics class. He said you quit coming because you tested out of the rest of college already, but three of your girlfriends were now taking classes.”

“That would be Beth, Eve, and Dora. Eve is Jennifer’s daughter. And that’s why I came here today, for this appointment. I figured you’d have questions, and they’re really not ones that Jennifer can answer; I’m the one that did the unapproved cancer treatment on her. She had four tumors in her left breast. She doesn’t now.”

He moved to the chair, sitting down. “Unapproved? But was it unethical, though?”

“Let’s go with no on that one. One problem with being so damned smart is that there’s things I know and know I can do that I’m not going to be allowed to do, or simply can’t get permission to do. Would it be ethical for me to allow the mother of one of my ladies to suffer through what my own mother would have called barbaric treatments when I had knowledge of something that could help?”

He grimaced. “I’d like to think that we have state of the art treatments here, between radiation and chemotherapy. So, I don’t necessarily agree with calling them barbaric. Having said that, there’s no doubt there would have to have been some surgery, whether it was to remove tissue that was dead, or ... to prevent the spread of cancer by removing the breast, itself. I’ve spent the last fifteen years seeing the progress we’ve made in treating breast cancer, but I’ve also seen the toll it takes on my patients.”

Jennifer said, “Exactly. When Cal told me of something he knew which might work ... well, I know it wasn’t approved, but at the same time, being sick for months, being disfigured, and still having a better than 25% chance that even with all that, I’d still be dead within five years from it. On top of everything else I’ve had happen to me due to ... Stephen ... it was easy for me to decide to try Cal’s treatment.”

“I presume that it worked, and that’s been confirmed by other testing, since the minor detail that you don’t look like yourself is a major factor in my earlier doubt and confusion.”

I sighed. “It worked. My Mom is ... was ... an incredible biologist. I hope I can do her proud when I’m studying under Doctor Korn at Stanford Medical. The only thing that wasn’t expected from the treatment was the genetic reversion. Do you have that picture in your purse from Halloween?”

Jennifer giggled. “Yeah.” She pulled it out. “We went trick or treating. That’s Eve and me, dressed like Mudd’s women from Star Trek, with Cal as Khan between us.”

“Good lord. You did say genetic reversion, didn’t you? How is that even possible?”

“Let’s just say that it took us by surprise a bit, too. And is the reason I’m not going to be trying any further cancer treatments until I understand better just what the heck did happen. I hope I have it refined by the time I graduate in a couple of years, but I just don’t know for sure.”

Doctor Beeson blinked again. “You hope to graduate in two years, or you hope to have it refined because you’ll graduate from medical school in two years?”

“The second, unless something drastic changes. And it’s not just medical school. I’ll be going to Stanford Law as well, to get my JD at the same time.”

“You know, if it was anyone but you, I’d say they were full of crap. But I’ve heard too much from Rodney about you. And it’s tough to miss the construction work on the east side of town that’s all due to you, too.” He shook his head. “Okay, fine. Louise said you refused a mammogram. I presume that’s because you’re sure of the treatment that Cal has done.”

Jennifer nodded. “Yes, that and I’m...” She looked at me. I just nodded. “That, and I’m pregnant.”

He leaned back. “Hang on.” He opened her chart. “You had a tubal ligation. When did you have it reversed?”

I said, “Yeah, that’s another reason why I need to refine my treatment a bit. It didn’t just restore Jennifer on the outside. It fixed her cancer, and cleared the blockage of her Fallopian tubes.”

Beeson frowned. “Cal ... I’m presuming that you’re the father. There’re already rumors that really aren’t, that Margaret Miller is pregnant with your child as well. The minor detail that you’re already living with five women...”

I interrupted him. “Six. Three of them are pregnant, the other three are not and won’t be for a while. But that’s really no one’s business but ours, Doctor. We’re not seeking the approval of society for what we’re doing. The only reason I’m even telling you this openly is doctor-patient confidentiality.”

He shook his head. “And the minor detail that you’re the main supporter of both the hospital and this clinic means that I keep my mouth shut, or else.”

“I prefer not to take it quite to that level, but ... yeah, pretty much. Look, I’ve done some checking on you, on all the doctors that work here. There are a couple that I find wanting. They’ll be getting notices before long to seek employment elsewhere. This is my home. I want only the very best for everyone here. Due to the expansion to the town, we’re going to have to build additional clinics, more specialized, expand the hospital, maybe even open up an outpatient surgery center and an urgent care facility on the other side of the railroad tracks, too.

“My job, as it were, is to take what Elroy started after the war and build upon it. One thing I noticed is the hospital doesn’t even have an MRI lab yet. That’s in the budget now. I want the best for the people of Hutchinson, of Reno County. I want you to feel free to refer people to IU Medical, to MD Anderson Cancer, to Mayo Clinic, to Johns Hopkins, and not worry about what some chicken-shit administrator says.”

He looked at Jennifer, at the laugh on her face. “You told Cal that?” She nodded. “Okay, now I KNOW you’re Jennifer Patrick, and this isn’t some long and drawn out prank. You’re the one I was venting to at the Christmas party last year, with those exact words. Well, damn. I like this Littmann. I wonder what it’s going to taste like?”

“If you’re like any normal person, you don’t really like black licorice that well. I’ll just get you several pieces of it, for you to munch on when you feel like shooting your mouth off again,” Jennifer said with a twinkle in her eye.

“Yuck. But I agree. Now, I’m curious. Why didn’t you just cancel your appointment with me?”

“Because you wouldn’t have taken the no. First, do no harm, means you’d have been worried that I was going to allow harm to come to myself. And second, you let me cry on your shoulder when you diagnosed me with the cancer. You deserved to see me beat it, even if it’s not the way you hoped might work.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Thank you. I ... I appreciate that.” He sighed. “Is there anything else that you need from me? Referrals to a good gynecologist?”

Jennifer shook her head. “No. We’re moving to California at the start of the New Year, and we’ll be there while Cal gets his doctorates. I think there’s probably someone out there that can help with that.”

He stood up, so did we. He held his hand out to me, shaking it. Then he opened his arms up and gave Jennifer a big hug. I could tell he was confused and wondering about how I’d done the genetic treatment on her, but happy that she was cured and fine.

After leaving the clinic, and since we were on this side of town, I had Chuck take us over to the airport. We drove out to our hanger. The mechanics were doing something to one of the planes.

“Hello, Mister Lewis. We’re just doing some routine inspections. How’s it going?”

“We’re doing fine ... um, I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught either of your names.”

“I’m Wally, this is Joel. We’re both prior service Air Force, fully certified engine and airframe mechanics on pretty much anything with wings. Both of us did our twenty working for Uncle Sugar, then ten more years working at Tinker, down in OKC. We both got caught in a RIF ... reduction in force ... a couple of years ago.”

“I take it that it had nothing to do with your lifestyle? Keep in mind I don’t care, this is private industry here.”

Joel frowned. “Yeah, it may have had something to do with that. Me and this jackass have been together for twenty years now. We’re both damned good at what we do, too.”

“Guys, I’m the poster child for an unconventional lifestyle, if anyone around here is.”

They both laughed. “That’s for sure,” Wally said. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, we’re planning on a trip to Florida the week after the championship game. So, I wanted to make sure we’d either have one of these available to fly, or ... I sort of was expecting there to be a very large 737 out here.”

“The planes’ll be ready to fly for your trip south, no worries there. Mister Watson brought us some Ice-X for the leading edges for these two here. Your big plane ... the two pilots you initially hired, weren’t type qualified. So, they wouldn’t have been able to fly a 737. Mister Patrick had already left, so I contacted Judge Bannister. He made arrangements for us to get two other pilots that were recently discharged from the Air Force that had flown the KC-135 and AWACS. While those are four engines and based on the 707, they’d also been pilots in T-43s, which is the Air Force version of the 737. What we’ve done is sent all four of them out to Seattle, for training on the 737-200 that’s yours. They’ll fly it here when they’re done with the training course.”

“Ah, okay. SJ should be home tomorrow. Um, so we’re going to have four full-time pilots, then, just for clarification?”

“Yes, sir. We’re figuring out the schedule now, but we’re pretty much going to be running two or three flights a week, either to Seattle or New York, with the 15. The 10 will be stationed here, but available to go to San Jose any time you need. We’re keeping it flexible, because there’s going to be a need for trips to Germany with it, as well as other locations for wind turbines. The big girl will be at whatever airport is nearest to where you are, so she’s available for your use immediately.”

“Are the two of you enough to keep all three up and running?”

Wally shook his head. “From a regular mechanical perspective, sure. If we need anything major ... an engine sucks down a bird ... those get sent out, anyway. That’s why we have extra engines sitting over there. These aren’t like your truck, where you put it into the shop and a mechanic can work on it and get it back running in four to six hours. Once one of the engines gets enough hours on it, we take it off, and put a different one on. Then we send the one that came off, out for a rebuild. We’re both smart enough to know when we’re getting backed up, but we have contacts over in KC and down in OKC that can come help if we need it.”

Joel nodded. “Keep in mind, there’s already a crew here at the airport that we can get to help us if we need it. They work for the airport, and from what we’ve heard, Southwest is planning on making this one of their stops, too. That’ll put their crews here, too. The only difference is your birds are our priority, all the time, every time. If you take the big girl overseas, one of us will be on board, just in case.”

I asked, “Is that normal?”

Chuck said, “That’s from us, on the security side of things. One of the things we like is that all four of your pilots are former military. And I think we mentioned that one of the things being installed on your big plane are flare and chaff dispensers. I think these guys have already put those onto both of these, right?”

Joel shook his head. “We’ve got them on the 10, the dispenser we got in for the 15 was defective. They said it’d work perfectly. We know some tricks to make sure the gear performs perfectly, no matter what. The one for the 15 would fail in a high-g turn, which is when you need it to work right.”

Jennifer frowned. “Do you think anyone is going to be shooting at us? For god’s sake, why would they do that?”

Chuck explained, “Do we think anyone will do that? No. Do we plan for it? Certainly. You’re the only one we haven’t gotten an executive card for yet. You’re behind the others in your firearms training, so we’ll need to work with that quite a bit.”

Toby was smiling. “Me, too.”

Chuck looked down at him. “I don’t know about that. You might be a little young.”

Toby looked up at me. I realized what and why he’d said that and replied, “We’ll find something small for you to work with. Probably a .22, until you get the physical strength to work with something larger.”

Chuck looked like he might argue, then shrugged. “We’re in Kansas. Every boy needs to know how to shoot. We’ll figure something out for California.”

“Good. Now, Wally, I heard there was a paint scheme you’d done for the birds? Did it ... oh, my, that’s nice. Not too gaudy, do you think?”

Both of the jets had been painted in the Salthawk colors. The upper bodies of the planes, above the windows and the roof, were blue. There was a band of gold around the middle, along the windows. Then the bottom of the planes were gleaming white.

“Nope. We haven’t named them yet; figure that’s for you to do. But we’re thinking something along the line of Pride of Hutchinson for one, Pride of Reno County, for the other. As for the big girl, CEDEM One, or maybe The Salthawk. These are both sweet ladies. They’ll last you a long time,” he said.

I squatted down, then laughed a little. “I’m guessing you weren’t just putting Ice-X on them, were you?” Jennifer and Chuck squatted down as well. The underside of the fuselage had the body of the ‘H’ hawk on it, talons reaching down, with the wings going out under each of the wings.

“Hey, no one said we couldn’t decorate your birds to show your pride in the community. And ... me and Joel put something else on each of them, too, over here.” Wally led us over to the side of the 10, which had the door open. He flipped the ladder up, then closed the door. On the bottom of the door, where the paint was glistening white, were two flags on staffs. The US Flag, and the USMC flag. “We appreciate what Mister Patrick did for us, getting us these jobs. More importantly, he put his own life on the line for this country. We’ll take damned good care of your birds, Mister Lewis.”

“Thank you, gentlemen. Carry on.”

Chuck took us back home. I went in to football practice, making sure the others got a good workout. When I got back home, my three oldest were sitting at the table with Elroy, giggling, while the three younger were looking perturbed. Elroy was just putting some papers back into a folder.

“Not that it’s not good to see you, Elroy, but why are three young ladies looking at me like they’re quite pissed at me right now, when so far as I know, I haven’t done anything wrong? Not to say that I may have forgotten an anniversary or something in the past, which I’m quite capable of doing, but I don’t think I’ve done that.”

“Oh, it’s not that. Not quite that bad, is it, girls?” Elroy asked.

Beth frowned. “I suppose not. It just sucks is all. We’re not old enough, and it just isn’t fair.”

Dora nodded. She wasn’t crying, but she was upset. “This ... this almost seems like going against what mi amor said. That’s why I’m upset.” Eve nodded as well.

Margie quit giggling, and said, “Girls, we’re all family. You’re our sister-wives, to Cal. There’s nothing changed about that relationship. Nothing will change about that. With Jennifer’s divorce final from Stephen, she had a choice to make. She simply chose a third option, one that none of us had considered.”

Elroy said, “Girls, there’s nothing that says you can’t do what they did, legally, when you’re old enough. But there’s also nothing that says you can’t do it, now. You just can’t have the supporting documentation changed, until you’re at least 18. That’ll be January of ‘86, for all three of you. I’ve got the paperwork ready now, we just can’t do it until then.”

Eve sighed. “That makes sense. It felt hurtful to us, is all. It felt like you did this without any discussion with all of us.”

“I found out we were on a time crunch,” Margie said. “One brought on by stupid state laws that Elroy can’t circumvent. Since we’re moving across state lines, all of the paperwork has to be fully processed 45 days prior to any move. That’s not a Kansas law, that’s a California law.”

“You can blame me,” Marcia said. “Jennifer had mentioned the third option, and since I know so many people that have done that, I called Leonard to make sure there wouldn’t be a problem if she did so. Turns out, due to the film industry, they have some different laws in effect out there regarding this, especially with people coming from out of state. To avoid a possible fraud charge, we had to do it – well, immediately – so Leonard can file the paperwork out there, before we move there after the start of the New Year.”

Elroy shook his head. “Girls, Cal had nothing to do with this. It all boils down to simple biology, and paternity. Margie will give birth first, then it’s possible that Marcia and Jennifer will do so the same day. I did NOT know this about California law, or I would have said something, tried to figure out something else for you.”

Dora sadly nodded. “It makes sense. And I forgive you for giggling. You’re so happy now. We can all feel that. I’m sorry for being upset. Will you forgive me?”

Jennifer held her arms out. “There’s nothing to forgive, Dora. Or Beth. Or Eve. I’m just glad that we found this out now, instead of when we were in the hospital, filling out the paperwork after Margie gives birth.”

Elroy smirked. “That’s for damned sure. California had a damned fine governor at one point. He’s now the President of the United States. Too bad that’s the last one. There’s a reason my personal name for that place is the granola state. Full of fruits, nuts, and flakes. It fits.”

I looked around. “Okay, now that I’m home, would someone care to let me know what the heck is going on?”

Beth made a fist, her thumb pointing out, and jerked it towards the table. “These three found a legal loophole to something we’ve been wanting. It’s all your fault. We’re not old enough, and we’re not knocked up like they are, so even if you managed to do that to all three of us tonight, it wouldn’t be legal.”

“Elizabeth...” Elroy said, a warning tone in his voice.

She laughed. “Got you! I was hoping you’d think I was mad. Upset, yes. Mad? No. There’s no way I can be mad at my sister-mothers, my sister-wives. Not as long as we all have this clueless one around.”

“I haven’t read California State Law. I’ve read all of the Federal laws, Kansas laws, and every book you have in your office, Elroy. What’d I miss?”

“One very nasty thing. Inheritance. Since the babies are going to be born in California, if the mothers are unmarried, then the hospital doesn’t have a choice; they have to put the mother’s name ONLY on the birth certificate. Even if the father is right there, in the delivery room. Leonard mentioned that to Marcia. Seems that some Hollywood stars go out and get a woman pregnant, regardless of whether they’re married to her or not. Or whether they’re already married to someone else or not, too. That way, there’s at least one layer of protection, in case the bastard ... and I mean that only in the biological sense ... goes to try to find out who his or her father is.”

Marcia nodded. “Turns out they’ve got a nice little privacy law out there, to prevent that from happening.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. How does that affect whatever it is you all were doing?”

Elroy shook his head. “It also turns out that the law doesn’t allow the child to claim any inheritance without a valid birth certificate. I can see that one getting fought in court and maybe overturned in the legislature at some point. But ... and here’s the sticky point ... because the child is born in California, their law applies, regardless of whether the child moves out of state and establishes citizenship in another state. California state law takes precedence, as any law suit has to be filed there if the birth was there.”

“That sounds like a screwed up loophole of a law if I’ve ever heard one. And I’ve read some really stupid laws that are still on the books. But how does that affect us? I’m not going to disinherit any of my kids.”

“No, you’re not,” Elroy said, a chuckle. “But California also gets to stick their stupid child welfare laws into play, to make sure the bastard is taken care of, including some very confiscatory laws on earnings, if in their opinion, and their opinion only, the child isn’t being taken care of properly. With appropriate fees for services coming to them from the earnings confiscated. But of course, that’s only if parental heritage can be proved, and they take pride in blocking all attempts to do that.”

I shook my head rapidly. “That’s ... insane. Who in their right mind wrote a law like that?”

“That would be studio lawyers, giving advice to the legislature,” Marcia said.

“Okay ... I think I see. But we all know that I can’t ... won’t ... marry any of them until I can marry all of them. To do otherwise wouldn’t be fair to them,” I said.

“Exactly. But ... if there is no intent to commit fraud in your state of residence, AND the paperwork is approved by the appropriate legal parties ... meaning me ... and it has been on file and record for more than 45 days, there’s no issue if someone over the age of 18 legally changes their name. Keep in mind, you’re free to call yourself anything you want. If you decided tomorrow that you wanted your name to be Henry Lewis, and called yourself that, and insisted everyone call you that, then your name is Henry. But on your legal paperwork, it’d still be California Lewis.”

I frowned. “Yeah, I read that, and understand that. But...” My eyes widened. “That’s what you were talking about before, Jennifer. You ... the three of you haven’t changed your first names. You’ve legally changed your last names.”

“And that’s why we were pissed. We’re not old enough to do it. But, as Mom found out, even though her divorce from that man I no longer consider my father is final, under the stupid law, any child she may be carrying when the divorce is final is still considered his, even though we know that’s physically impossible. And when you throw the laws of California into the mix ... because that’s where their children, and probably ours, will be born ... it really screws things up.”

I was shaking my head. “I still don’t see how this helps. I’m not married to them.”

Elroy grinned. “What am I, son?”

I blinked, at his tone. “You’re a devious bastard, is what you are. What’ve you come up with?”

“Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. Remember how you were fired up, that California would have to recognize Kansas law regarding age of consent? Guess what? California also has to recognize Kansas law regarding common law marriages. The actual minimum age here for marriage is 16, with either both parents consent, or one parent and a judge. We obviously have that.”

He stood up, like he was in a courtroom. “However, under the law, bigamy is illegal in this state, under state law, and in all other states, as well as against federal law in their territories. Technically, so is cohabitation, meaning the seven of you living together. That means you can’t have a license issued, or have anything legally recognized that way. But that also means that you can, using a similar structure to a corporation, form an actual family group, with rules, bylaws, and other strictures. And that also includes the women must legally change their last name to Lewis when they reach the legal age that they can do so, as there is no intent to commit fraudulent activity.”

“What that also means is, for purposes of California law, when the babies are born, their mothers will have the last name of Lewis, and will be able to record that name upon the birth certificate, as well as listing your name as that of the father, as it is the same last name. That’s how your big brother, Marcia, can have the legal last name of Morrison, but is also not guilty of committing fraud by signing Patrick Wayne, for example. There’s no intent to commit fraud. And, because the three of you can have your parents sign the family group contract ... which I happen to have here, already signed ... that means that when you turn 18, you can change your last names to Lewis as well.”

He held out his hands in a patting motion. “I know, it’s a load of legal bullshit. The thing is, you’re really all living together like you’re married, so Margaret isn’t lying if she says she considers Cal to be her common law husband. Neither is Marcia, neither is Jennifer. But ... here’s where things get really devious. Cal doesn’t acknowledge THEM that way. He simply considers them ... all of you ... to be girlfriends that happen to share a home for convenience. I know, it’s at best, a thin legal fiction. But, it’s there to protect the babies, when they come along. And the other minor detail that after two years at Stanford, you’ll be so famous, no one will dare say anything.”