Almost nine months later, Doris was walking down the hall of the lab, cantilevered forward with the weight of baby Ethan. She stopped in to see Melissa.
“Hi! It’s nice to see you! When is he due?”
“Any day now. I’m actually hoping to induce soon. I don’t know what’s going on in there but it is way uncomfortable.”
Just then, the door to the office opened and a huge, muscular teenager with dark hair and a patchy beard walked in. Doris stared as Melissa groaned, “Of course. Hello, Carl.”
“Sup,” grunted the behemoth. “Who’s this?”
“You don’t remember me?” asked Doris.
“Nah. I’d remember such a hot piece of ass! What’s your name? I’m Carl but I go by Chuck.”
Doris looked over at Melissa with a confused look.
“Yeah. Uh. Besides being six foot six already, apparently he’s mentally an adolescent again. It’s gotten worse and worse as the months pass. For a while, he was the old post-rebirth Carl, with the same angry attitude. Now, every once in a while he’ll remember who he was, but otherwise… I get this. Moody-ass teenager with way too much sex on his mind.”
Doris stared. “So… what are you…?”
Melissa rolled her eyes and said, “I gave up. I had the center create a birth certificate for him with me as the mother. Meet Carl Branson, who turned 14 this past June. He’s a rising freshman at Kennedy High School and wants to be an NFL player.”
Chuck snorted and said, “If I don’t quit growing, I’m gonna have to switch to the NBA.” He laughed and flexed his bicep. “Though you don’t see a lot of basketball players like me.”
Doris rolled her eyes, then doubled over in pain. “Oh, my God!”
Melissa ran over to her and the two whispered together.
“Chuck. CARL! Pay attention. I need you to go get the bag that Doris has in her car. The baby is coming and I want her to lie down right now.”
Chuck shrugged and took the proffered keys, then jogged down the hall, a perfect model of an athlete in motion.