Shock

"I couldn't think of anything more inappropriate at an infertility clinic."

"I suppose you're right," Deborah agreed.

Emerging from the tu

Deborah slowed. "What a shock to see such a huge building sitting out here in the woods by itself. Curious design, too. Seeing the tower up close, I'd wager it's a deliberate copy of the Uffizi's. It's so similar, it can't have been by accident. If my memory serves me, it's even got the same style clock, although the one in the Uffizi works."

"I've seen other Victorian buildings like this around Massachusetts," Joa

"The Wingate Clinic must be awfully busy to use this much square footage."

Joa

Following the driveway around the right side of the building, Deborah drove into a parking lot with a surprisingly large number of cars in it. Both women were quick to notice that a number of the vehicles were not the usual Honda Civics or Chevy Caprices. One car stood out particularly among the Mercedes, Porches, and Lexuses. It was a burgundy Bentley convertible.

"Good grief," Joa

"Like with the guard's gun, it would be hard to miss." Its metallic paint was gleaming in the early morning sunlight.

"Do you have any idea how much that car costs?" Joa

"Not in the slightest."

"Over three hundred thousand dollars."

"Gadzooks! That's obscene, especially at a medical establishment."

Deborah parked in a plainly marked visitor's spot. As the women climbed from the car, a porticoed door facing the parking lot opened. A tall, chestnut-haired, white-coated female figure appeared. She waved.

"Now this greeting is the opposite extreme from what we experienced at the guardhouse," Deborah said. She waved back as she and Joa

"It looks like Dr. Donaldson."

"I think you're right," Deborah said.

"I hope we don't regret this," Joa

Deborah grasped her friend around her upper arm and pulled her to a halt. "What are you saying? You don't want to go through with this? If that's the case, we should just turn around and drive back to Boston. I don't want you to think I'm putting any pressure on you, because I'm not."

Joa

"Talk to me, girl?" Deborah demanded, giving Joa

Joa

"Absolutely," Deborah said. "Like I've said ten times: For us it's a win-win situation."

"I'm talking about these procedures," Joa

"Oh, for goodness' sake. These retrievals are small potatoes. Women undergoing infertility treatment go through it multiple times on top of enduring tons of hormones. For us it's no big deal."

Joa

"Are you sure? I mean, you don't feel like you're being forced, do you?"

Joa

The women started walking again.

"For a minute you had me scared," Deborah said.

"I scare myself sometimes," Joa

THREE

I TRUST YOUR RIDE OUT FROM Boston was without incident," Dr. Donaldson said as she closed the clinic door behind the women.

"It was fine," Deborah said as she eyed a large, unoccupied waiting room. The furniture appeared to be expensive modern Scandinavian, which stood in sharp contrast to the period Victorian architectural details. A large U-shaped receptionist's desk stood empty in the center of the room. Leather upholstered chairs and couches lined the walls. A generous display of current magazines were sprinkled around on coffee and side tables.

"I realized this morning that I'd failed to give you directions," Dr. Donaldson said. "I apologize."

"No need to apologize," Deborah said. "I should have asked.

But we had no trouble. We stopped at the local pharmacy and asked."

"Very smart," Dr. Donaldson said. She clasped her hands. "Now, first things first. I trust that neither of you have had anything to eat since midnight."

Deborah and Joa

"Excellent!" Dr. Donaldson said. "Let me give Dr. Smith, our anesthesiologist, a call. He'd like to speak with you. Meanwhile, if you'd like to take off your coats and make yourselves comfortable, we'll get things started."

While Dr. Donaldson used the receptionist's phone, Deborah and Joa

"Are you all right?" Deborah whispered to Joa

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joa

"You're so quiet. You're not changing your mind again, are you?"

"No! I'm just u

"I know what you mean," Deborah agreed. "It looks like it cost a fortune but looks terrible in the environment."

"It's weird. Things like that usually don't bother me. I'm sorry I'm such a basket case."

"Just try to relax and think about having coffee in Piazza San Marco."

Returning to the main room, they allowed Dr. Donaldson to guide them over to a couch. Once seated, she informed them that Dr. Carl Smith was on his way down. She then asked if they had any questions.

"How long do you suppose this will take?" Joa

"A retrieval only takes forty minutes or so," Dr. Donaldson said. "Then we'll have you relax for a few hours to make sure the anesthesia has completely worn off. You'll be on your way before you know it."

"Will we be having the procedure at the same time?" Joa

"No," Dr. Donaldson said. "Miss Meissner, you'll be first since you'll be having the light general anesthesia. Of course, if Miss Cochrane would like to switch to general anesthesia, then you two could decide whom you would prefer to be first."

"I'm happy with the local anesthesia,' Deborah said.

"Whatever you prefer," Dr. Donaldson said. She looked from one woman to the other. "Any other questions for the moment?"

"Does the clinic occupy this whole building?" Deborah asked.

"Heavens no. This building is huge. It used to house a large mental institution as well as a TB sanitarium."

"So we heard," Deborah said.

"The infertility clinic takes up two floors in this wing only," Dr. Donaldson explained. "We also have a few of the offices in the tower. The rest of the facility is empty except for the old beds and a lot of the old equipment. It's almost like a museum."