Julie
Dr Lora Patterson stepped into the waiting room.
"Julie Williams?" she asked.
Julie stood up and followed Dr Patterson into the office, her mother close behind. Lora gestured for them to have a seat.
"You just want a check up?" Lora asked.
"We've had a series of pointless check ups," her mother cut in. "So many of these sonogram machines don't seem to work. Now -"
"Are you Julie?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you Julie?"
"No, this is Julie. Do I look pregnant to you?"
"In that case, I will have to ask you to wait outside -"
"But -"
"Unless you're the father - and I seriously doubt that you are - I would prefer for you to wait in the waiting room. A simple matter of privacy and curtosy, thank you."
"I will not -"
"I shant do anything more until you leave."
A rather indigant Mrs Williams glared at Dr Patterson and then left. Lora shook her head as the door slammed shut.
"I do hate it when parents answer questions directed at their kids who are old enough to answer them themselves."
Julie allowed a small smile to cross her face.
"My friend Isabel gave me your number," Julie said. "She seemed to think that you might know why sonograms hate me."
Lora smiled. That was what they would find out.
"Well, I'll give it my best shot. But before we go there, I would like to ask you some questions first. Hence why I did have to send your mother out. You may have been a little embarrassed to answer them yourself - assuming you could get a word in."
Julie giggled - something she hadn't been doing a lot of lately - and settled down to the questions. Lora then began some tests and set Julie up with the sonogram.
"Mmm," Lora murmured. "Sonogram hates you today."
"Oh no, not again."
"No, no, it's a good thing," Lora replied cheerfully. "If it had been working as it should, then I wouldn't have been able to figure out the problem then now could I?"
"I suppose not."
Lora considered the situation. She had spoken to Isabel about her thought that the baby had Stealth and the sonogram seemed to agree with that conclusion. Lora had also been contacted by YIRAAS in regards to this matter - Julie being human and all. There were only two possibilities here. Either the baby was alien and did have Stealth, or sonograms really did hate Julie.
Lora went to her drawer and pulled out a partcular device. It had been given to her when YIRAAS contacted her, and with brief instructions. Lora wasn't certain how they knew it worked but apparently it would allow the sonogram to work if the child was indeed alien. So Lora attached it and tried again.
"Eureka!" Lora smiled. "It works."
"Really?" Julie asked brightly. "Oh really and truly?"
"Yes indeedy."
"Oh good."
"You shouldn't need to have them so often any more now," Lora told her.
"Good. Can I see?"
"Sure."
A little later Julie was getting ready to depart.
"How'd it go?" Mrs Williams asked coldly.
"It worked, Mom," Julie said. "Lora got it to work. She got a photo for me."
Julie showed the photo to Mrs Williams, who didn't even glance at it.
"And how, pray tell, did you manage that?"
She was thinking if should could find out, she would tell Dr Harris and they wouldn't have to come back to this... this blonde cow.
"Ingenuity," was Lora's reply. "You shouldn't need another appointment until next month."
"I demand a better explanation than that!"
"Are you a doctor, Mrs Williams?"
"No, but -"
"You wouldn't understand the technical jargon. Have a nice afternoon."
Lora turned and left. Julie wiped the smile off her face before her mother could see it and they departed.