From: Philippa Chapman (Glastonbury, Somerset, UK.) Date: Sat, 05 Apr 1997 07:00 +0000 Subject: Girl Talk, Part 5/5 GIRL TALK PART 5 Sam, Melissa, Al and Tina all re-entered the control room together, smiling contentedly. Sam went over to Ziggy's control panel and placed his hand on the top. "Okay, Ziggy. How are things going?" "WELCOME BACK, FATHER. THINGS ARE PROGRESSING VERY WELL. I SHOULD BE READY TO RECEIVE MY PUBLIC TOMORROW OR ANY TIME FROM THEN ONWARDS." Al raised his eyebrows and handled his cigar like a movie mogul. "Now she's turning into Norma Desmond." Ziggy's voice became sultry. "IF YOU CAN FIND ME A YOUNGER, MASCULINE HYBRID COMPUTER WITH WHOM I CAN....INTERFACE, I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO BE MS DESMOND." Al doubled over in laughter and Sam tried to look shocked. "She's been exposed to your influence for too long, Al," he managed between gulps of air to stop the laughter which threatened,"I know I never intended her to be smutty." "I WAS NOT BEING SMUTTY. I AM MERELY AWARE THAT AS AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE I NEED TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS LIKE ME. ISN'T THERE AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPUTER AT THE PENTAGON?" Sam shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe we can set you up on a blind date once this media circus is all over!" The media and the government duly descended once Sam put out the right codewords and bulletins. He and the others were kept rushed off their feet for weeks dealing with federal agents, government officials and reporters, who all needed to hear the public version of events over and over. Any free time he had, he spent with Melissa or taking her to meet his family, or playing with little Albert. Melissa was too busy to notice other things that were happening until she found herself staring at the inside of the toilet for the second week in a row. "It can't be.....I'm infertile. I must be sickening for something." Melissa dismissed the evidence that was staring her in the face until she felt the fluttering in her lower stomach several weeks later. Then she sat Sam down and told him what she thought was happening. He was both elated and concerned. "It's a miracle! I'm stunned....and incredibly pleased if it's true." He examined her gently, his eyes widening in wonder as he realised that it *was* true,"You're over three months along, darling. It's not as unusual as you think. I've read of women who've gone as far as you without being able to conceive, then bingo!, all of a suddenly everything kicks in just in time." "I'm worried about the baby....I'm 42, after all." Sam smiled gently. "Darling, as long as you're alright...and you seem to be, and the baby arrives safely, then I don't mind about the rest. He or she is a little miracle and I will welcome him or her, whatever happens." Melissa looked at him. "I could go and have the tests.....just so we know. I mean, I want this baby; more than you can imagine, but I'd like to be prepared." Sam looked at her. "If you do, then I'll come with you." In the end, Melissa went along to the hospital in Alberquerque with Sam and underwent all the relevant tests for a woman of her age, complete with an ultrasound. They both gasped when they saw the tiny baby on the screen. "Oh, boy. Sam, it really *is* a baby. Isn't he...or she perfect?" There were tears running down her face and Sam's. Then the baby moved a little bit, kicking it's legs. Melissa's grin spread from ear to ear. "Well, unless I'm very much mistaken, that's a son we have there." The radiologist nodded. "Yes. We usually offer to tell you if we know.....and the biopsy you had yesterday confirms it. The doctor will want to see you when we're through here." Melissa looked at Sam. "We must be close to the world record for the gap between first and second children, but I don't care. He'll be company for Albert." Sam nodded dumbly as the radiologist gave him several print-outs of the scan and the video. He became more serious at the look in the doctor's eyes when they finally went through. "It's mostly good news, Mr and Mrs Beckett. Your son is just the right size and he's in the best of physical shape." Sam gave him a direct look. "I hear a 'but' in there." "Yes. The biopsy was clear. Your baby is borderline, but we're pretty certain that he has Down's syndrome." Sam felt himself unaccountably elated. "It's okay," he said, squeezing Melissa's hand,"I'm used to....special people." To his surprise Melissa nodded. "The couple down the road had a daughter like that. She was really smart, even went to regular school. I'm just glad it's nothing worse." Sam looked at Melissa. "I'm so proud of you." The doctor smiled as they hugged and kissed,"Are you sure you're okay about this? It *is* a bit of a shock." Melissa nodded. "Yes, Sam. I know he's going to be alright, somehow, inspite of everything. I think I knew, anyway. I'm just so happy that he's on his way.....I don't mind about the rest." The pregnancy developed along all the right lines. Towards the end, Melissa got tired and had to lie down in the afternoons, but Sam remembered what that was like from personal experience and rubbed her back for her. "Sam, you're a treasure! I can't think of any other woman in history who's had a husband more sympathetic." Sam smiled. "I don't want to bother you, but labour is *hell*." "Yes, well, I'm only doing it this once. James will need all our love, and I'm not risking being so lucky next time." "I know. That's why I went away and did the decent thing two months ago." "And I'm very grateful. No more worries." "Yes, like Al and Tina. He's often said he's too old to start chasing toddlers around that he can't hand back to one of his daughters at the end of the day." Melissa nodded. "Tina was never very baby-minded anyway. She's got her hands full keeping Al on his toes!" In the end, Melissa was out in the garden tending the dark red rose bushes that Sam had given her as a birthday present when her waters broke. Sam came running when she paged him, but the contractions were arriving hard and fast. Melissa began to pace up and down, pausing to catch her breath. As he pulled the car out of the garage, another rush of fluid came and she got the urge to push. She stood there, panting just as she'd practised, but the urge grew stronger and stronger. Melissa winced against the pain as her contractions tightened even more around her bump. Sam tried to help her to the car. "Sam, I really don't think we're going to make the hospital. Will the infirmary do?" Sam decided that Melissa knew best and got her to the project infirmary in less than ten minutes. He examined her as quickly as he could. "Oh, BOY! You're right, darling! What's that....a four hour labour? You're all ready to go.....you can start pushing." Melissa's eyes widened, the realisation hitting her of what she was about to do. "Okay," she said and concentrated on giving birth to their baby. In ten minutes, he was out into the world and Sam was gently placing the tiny baby on her stomach. Little James whimpered, then started to bawl. Melissa stroked his dark curls in wonder. Sam just stared, the reached down to kiss her and the baby. He had tears in his eyes as Melissa lifted her son carefully to her breast. "It doesn't get much better than this." Melissa leaned against him as the rest of the medical team finally arrived and mopped her up. When Melissa was rested and decent, Al and Tina came down to greet the new arrival along with Sammy-Jo and little Albert. Al tried to make Sam take a cigar, but he just grinned and refused. They all made the right noises over the baby. Al looked at his friend. "I'm glad for you, Sam. I can see you're blissfully happy.....as happy as that other Sam. Little James here is going to be a handful, but you'll cope. I just remember when Trudy was born....things are so different now. He's going to get the best start." "I know. We've already decided that his pet name is going to be Jimmy." Al coughed to hide his welling emotion. "Yes, well, that figures. I wonder how the other Jimmy is getting on." "Maybe we'll ask Ziggy one day or start looking up his name in the phone book. There are so many who I would like to know are well and happy." "We've got an invite to go to Washington once the little lad and Melissa are up for the journey. The President wants to see us in person. I explained what was happening here and he'll wait. My Dad would have been so proud..." "Yes, I know. Mine too." Little Albert leaned over and wrinkled his nose at James. "When can I play with him?" Melissa smiled. "Soon enough. If you come and sit beside me, I'll show you how to hold him. I'm still learning that myself." Albert scrambled onto the bed beside Melissa and helped to hold James. "He's so *tiny*. Was I that small, Mom?" Sammy-Jo laughed. "Yes, you were, but you grew quickly enough." In a couple of days, Melissa was able to go back to the home she now shared with Sam, along with James. They resumed their physical relationship and grew still closer together because of the baby. James was sometimes hard work and gave them sleepless nights, but he made up for everything with his sunny disposition. After a couple of months, Sam, Melissa, Al, Tina and baby James duly flew to Washington. Al was wearing his dress whites and Sam wriggled rather uncomfortably in his tuxedo and tie. He soon forgot about his discomfort when they were ushered into the immediate presence of the President. The great man greeted them all and gently patted the baby's head before beginning. "I have an idea, gentleman. Now that you have found a way to project people safely back to the past as holograms, I was hoping that you might throw the business open to the paying public. There are a great many moments in the last lifetime that it would be wonderful to go back and see again. To hear Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill or even Queen Victoria.... I'm sure you can see the value it would be to historians." Sam considered the proposal. "I found the great moments I saw were wonderful, but it was the little dramas, the ordinary lives that really touched me. We must consider them too." "Well, I can see a compromise." Al began. "Yes, Admiral Calavicci?" "We charge the big historians plenty for the famous moments, after all, they'll be popular enough. With the surplus funds we take on one deserving case a month, say, from people who could not otherwise afford to pay. There must be millions who would jump at the chance to see lost loved ones again. I know I would." Sam smiled at Al. "That's it! Sorry, Mr President, this is your shot." The President smiled. "You are right Doctor Beckett. We will use some of your surplus funds to build Accelerators to the past in other parts of the country. Along with what I can spare from Government sources, of course, but that's up to Congress. Maybe if this idea takes off, it could go world-wide." Al grinned. "Well, that's sewn up the next twenty-odd years, if not longer!" "Oh, BOY! Quantum Leap International...." The President laughed. "Indeed, Doctor Beckett. As you so succinctly put it, 'Oh, Boy!'." **** 'If you want to find out anything from theoretical physicists about the methods they use, I advise you to stick closely to one principle: Don't listen to their words, fix your attention on their deeds.' Einstein. And that's all she wrote.... Gosh, did this story come a long way all by itself! Let me know what you think. What happened next? We....ll, I had plans to make James grow up with a natural affintity for computers and be remarkably bright. I also saw Sam and Melissa adopting a little girl of mixed parentage, though in this country they'd probably be considered too old. I don't know about Sammy-Jo and Albert (junior). He's certainly young enough to consider Sam as a father rather than a grandfather. And Al and Tina have fun enjoying his semi-retirement and the odd visit from assorted daughters and grand-children. That's about it, really. Goodness only knows what the next one will be about. Well, actually.....there's this new British time travel series called 'Crime Traveller' and I can see potential for a cross-over. Maybe.