Authors: Shawna Platt
Kinsey woke the next morning and went straight to the main office. She was going to raise hell for someone getting into her room the night before. She attacked the first counter person she saw.
“I’d like to know how someone got into my room last night?”
The girl took a step back and looked confused. “I’m sorry, say that again.”
“Someone used a key card to let themselves into my room last night while I was sleeping. I’d like to know how that happened.”
“Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
Kinsey took a deep breath.
Are you sure you have a brain?
“No, I wasn’t dreaming.” She looked around the office. “Is there a supervisor here I can speak to?”
“Ummmm…hold on.” As the girl was looking around the office, Kinsey saw Dr. Westcott enter the room from the office area. She left the girl at the counter and walked up to the doctor, who greeted Kinsey with a smile.
“Good morning, Kinsey. I look forward to our appointment later.”
“Yeah, me, too. Listen, who can I talk to about someone getting into my room last night?”
Dr. Westcott narrowed her eyes. “I don’t understand. What do you mean someone came into your room last night?”
“I mean, I was sleeping and someone used a key card to open my door and enter my bedroom. And don’t tell me I was dreaming, because I watched them leave.”
“Kinsey, I don’t know what to tell you. During the time we’ve had participants in the program, no one has ever made this complaint before.”
“Well, you have one now. What are you going to do about it?”
“You have my word I’ll look into it and make sure it never happens again.”
“Yes, please do. That doesn’t look good on my first night here.”
“No, I agree, and I’d hate to have you leave the program over a misunderstanding.”
Yeah, like I have a choice to leave.
“Thank you. I appreciate your concern.”
“I’ll check into it straight away and will have an answer for you by the time you come for your appointment.”
“Thanks again. By the way, how do I get to the park area with the swimming pool? I saw it last night from my patio and would like to check it out.”
“It’s a beautiful area. When you leave the main office, take a left and go all the way down to the last set of hallways. Take the one on your left. At the end will be a door that will take you out to the park and swimming pool area.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you later today.”
Kinsey exited the door and found herself in the park and pool area. It was still early and there weren’t many women out, so she walked around admiring the well-kept grounds. Again she found herself regretting that, due to the circumstances, she couldn’t enjoy her surroundings.
Like the park in the front of the building, this one had a trail that wrapped around the sides and far end. If you entered on one side and kept walking, you’d come out on the other. Since she had some adrenaline to burn, she decided to run it. She hadn’t had a good run in a few days and needed one. She took off on the left side of the trail and didn’t stop until she came out on the right.
She leaned forward with her hands on her knees and caught her breath. When she looked up, she saw Tessa standing by the building entrance watching her. Kinsey waved and walked over to where she was standing.
“Good morning, Tessa. How are you feeling?”
“Hi, Kinsey. I’m doing all right considering,” she said as she rubbed her belly. “I wish I could still run like that.”
Kinsey smiled. “You like to run?”
“I like to do anything that entails working out, but it’s a little hard at the moment.”
“Well, that won’t last forever. You’ll be back at it in no time.”
Tessa nodded. “Yes, I know.” She walked over and pulled a chair out from one of the umbrella tables. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you, I think I will sit down for a bit.” She took a seat and blew out a breath. “I’ll have to run up and take another shower now before my appointment.”
“Oh, yes, the pre-procedure appointments. I remember those.”
“Are they as bad as they sound?”
She waved a hand at Kinsey. “Naw. Just some blood tests and they’ll have you start monitoring your temperature every morning. You’ll have to report it via a computer program each morning. Dr. Westcott will explain it all to you. It’s easy.”
“So how far along are you?”
“About six months.”
“Getting close. Only three more months before you get to go back home.”
Tessa leaned forward and whispered, “Yes and it can’t happen too soon.”
They exchanged, what appeared to Kinsey, a knowing glance. “I wish I only had three more months.”
“Just mind your P’s and Q’s. You’re treated well here by the staff,” she whispered again, “but I don’t think everyone knows what’s really going on.”
The knowing glance occurred again. “No, I don’t think they do.” Kinsey glanced at her watch. “I need to go take a shower, but I’d love to get together again so we can talk more.”
Tessa nodded. “I’d like that very much. What room are you in?”
“516.”
“I’ll stop by tonight and we can visit; maybe watch a movie.”
“That sounds great! I look forward to it.” Kinsey stood and patted Tessa’s belly. “Have a great day and I’ll see you tonight.”
Tessa smiled. “You, too, Kinsey.”
Later that day, Kinsey sat in the reception area of the doctor’s office. She hadn’t waited long before someone came out and took her back to a treatment room. While waiting for Dr. Westcott, she walked around the room looking at all the informational posters on artificial insemination and the different stages of pregnancy. There were pamphlets as well, so she grabbed a few and stuck them in her purse.
She heard a knock on the door and Dr. Westcott entered.
“Hello again, Kinsey.” She placed a file on the counter. “I hope you enjoyed exploring the park and pool area.”
“I did. The grounds are beautiful.”
Dr. Westcott smiled. “They are. We try to make the women comfortable during their stay here.” She gestured to the exam table. “Please, have a seat.”
Kinsey sat on the edge of the table and took a deep breath. “Were you able to check out the security issue I spoke to you about this morning?”
“Yes, I did. I went to the security office after we talked and they checked the video of your hallway from last night. According to security, no one entered your room last night.”
“That can’t be right. Someone was in my room.”
“If this is true, they didn’t show up on the security camera.” She paused. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Kinsey. Security swears no one of a suspicious nature was seen in your hallway last night.”
Kinsey shook her head. “Okay, I guess I’m losing it.”
I’m not, but apparently, there’s nothing I can do.
“Maybe it was a dream. It was your first night here and the stress of getting settled in could have impacted your sleep.”
“I’m sure that’s it.”
Dreams don’t leave photographs behind.
“Good. I’m glad we’ve got that settled.” She turned and grabbed the file off the counter. “Today’s appointment will be a quick one for you. We need to draw some blood and I’ll give you a thermometer and a chart to start monitoring your temperature every morning. I need a resting temperature, so you need to do this before you get out of bed.”
Kinsey nodded.
Dr. Westcott smiled and walked to the cupboard. She pulled out a new thermometer and grabbed a form from a plastic hanging folder on the wall. She placed them in a small bag, along with the pamphlets, some of which Kinsey already had, but she didn’t say anything.
Dr. Westcott went over to a computer and hit a few buttons. A program pulled up. She turned and motioned to Kinsey. “If you’ll come over here, I’ll show you how to log onto the system so you can enter your information each morning.”
Kinsey went and stood beside the doctor.
“I’m sure you noticed the small desk area in your room with the computer?”
Kinsey nodded. “I haven’t had a chance to even turn it on yet.”
“That computer is for your personal use while you’re here. Look for this program icon that will be located in your shortcuts,” she showed Kinsey the icon. “You’ll have to log in. Your user name is Kinsey Garrick and you can create your own password. I don’t need your password, since I can access your information from the main file.”
She typed in some information and Kinsey’s profile pulled up. She showed Kinsey how to enter her temperature every morning and where to find any information on her pregnancy during her stay.
“All of your health records while in the program will be on your profile page. If you ever have any questions, that aren’t answered on here, please feel free to ask.”
“Looks pretty straight forward. I think I can handle it.”
Dr. Westcott smiled. “I’m sure you can.” She directed Kinsey back to the exam table. “Once we determine you’re ovulating, we’ll get you in that day to do the artificial insemination procedure. In the meantime, the blood samples we’ll take today will help match you with a compatible sperm donor. We talked about that during our initial meeting.”
“You can determine ovulation cycles by temperature alone?”
“It’s pretty accurate, yes. We’ve only had a few cases where the procedure didn’t take.”
“What happens if the procedure doesn’t take?”
“The procedure is attempted three times. If those are unsuccessful, the woman is released from the program.”
“I see.” Kinsey relaxed a bit. “Why the need to create soldiers that won’t be able to fight for another eighteen years?”
The question caught Dr. Westcott off guard. “Well, I’m not the one to answer that, I simply do my job.” She smiled again. “You’re a curious one, aren’t you?”
“Knowledge is a good thing.”
She laughed. “Yes, it is. You were a good choice. I’m glad you decided to participate.”
Kinsey thought of her sister. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Dr. Westcott sent Kinsey to the lab to have her blood drawn. On the way out, she thought of Tessa and had a feeling tonight’s visit was going to be interesting to say the least. Tessa knew something, and Kinsey was determined to find out what it was.
Kinsey returned to her room and starting reading over the pamphlets and packets of information Dr. Westcott had given her. One of the packets was a list of classes that were offered while in the program. She was impressed with the free education the women were provided in the compound. There were classes on nutrition, exercise, over all care during pregnancy, and preparing for childbirth. They took no chances with these women and made sure they had the best the medical profession had to offer.
While the classes weren’t mandatory, they did stress the importance of taking advantage of the education being provided. After all, it was provided at no cost and the women had a lot of free time to kill.
Kinsey looked over the list and decided what classes she’d sign up for. Why not take advantage of free information, especially on nutrition and exercise. Most of these classes focused on these aspects during pregnancy, but she was sure she’d gain some valuable information from them.
She went down to the education office and signed up for a few classes she felt would benefit her at this stage in the program. More would be added as time went on and her pregnancy advanced.
She thought of what Dr. Westcott said about the procedure not working. Maybe she’d get lucky and it wouldn’t take so she could be released from the program. Maybe it would all be over before it started. She’d keep her fingers crossed on that one.
Since she’d already checked out the grounds, she decided to wander around the interior of the living quarters building. She found the cafeteria and decided to try the food. The menu was vast and the food delicious; and like everything else, free. The government obviously spared no expense for the Operation Vala program. Kinsey came to the conclusion that if the program truly stuck to what it appeared to be on the outside, it would be a wonderful opportunity. Unfortunately, her experience with the recruiting end of things left little to be desired. She had a feeling that, for most women, this was not the voluntary program many believed it was.
After eating, she wandered a few more halls she’d never had the chance to explore and came to a set of open stairs that were labeled “Security Offices” and “Nursery”, with an arrow pointing to Floor 2. She definitely wanted to check those out.
When she reached the second floor, she could hear the cries of babies echoing through the hall. She walked toward the sound and came to a huge window in the wall, much like a hospital nursery. She looked inside and saw a room filled with babies, lined up in small beds. There were several nurses attending to the babies. One of the nurses looked up and saw Kinsey at the window. She got a puzzled look on her face and walked out into the hallway.
“Can I help you?”
Kinsey tried to act innocent. “I’m sorry, I’m new to the program and I was just wandering around checking out the building.” She turned to look back through the glass window. “I assume these are the babies born into the program?”
The nurse turned toward the window with a smile. “They sure are.”
Kinsey could tell by her smile she loved taking care of them. “So I understand they stay here in this building until they’re about one year old?”
The nurse gave her a curious look. “I don’t know who’s sharing that information, but, yes, that’s true.” She paused. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious how the program works.”
The nurse pulled her eyebrows together. “Oh, I’m sorry to sound evasive, but we usually don’t get questions about the babies once they’re born. Women just leave the compound and move on.”
Kinsey nodded and looked at the babies again. “Like I said, I’m new here and was just curious.”
“When did you arrive?”
“I just got here yesterday.”
“Oh, wow, you are new,” she laughed. “Well, everything here is state of the art. We leave nothing to chance when it comes to the care of the babies. You can rest assured the baby you deliver will have the best of everything.”
Kinsey smiled. “That’s good to know.” She turned to the nurse. “Thank you for your time.”
The nurse extended her hand and Kinsey shook it. “I wish you the best of luck and thank you for participating in the program. You’re doing a wonderful thing for your country.”
Kinsey forced a smile. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you.”
She tried to put the babies out of her mind as she made her way toward the security office. She wanted to see exactly what kind of security this place had.
Unlike the nursery, the security room did not have a large window to look through and see the inner workings; just a door with a sign that read: Security. Authorized Personnel Only. There was a key card reader along the wall, so there was no way she could just barge in and demand to see the security videos from the night before.
Apparently, she was being watched because as she stood there the door opened and a large man loomed over her.
“Can I help you?”
She figured this would be a good time to try and get some information.
“Yes, my name is Kinsey Garrick and I lodged a complaint this morning about someone coming into my room last night.”
He nodded in acknowledgement. “Oh, yes, Dr. Westcott was here this morning checking on that. As I told her, the security cameras on your floor show nothing out of the ordinary. There’s no way someone got into your room last night without us seeing them.”
“Yes, that’s what she told me.” She decided to verify her bug theory. “I was wondering about audio? Can you double check that to make sure you heard nothing as well?”
“We don’t have any audio, there’s no reason for it. We have all we need through the eyes of our cameras.”
“What about the cameras inside the rooms? Can you check those?”
“There are no cameras in the private rooms. We monitor the hallways to make sure the participants remain safe. No need to peek around in their rooms.”
“Hmmm….okay, I guess I’m simply losing my mind. Thank you for your time.”
“No problem. Please, rest assured your safety is our main priority. We take security very serious around here.”
Kinsey smiled. “You guys are here twenty-four hours a day?”
“Yes, twenty-four hours a day.”
“Okay, thank you again.”
Before he closed the door, Kinsey got a quick glance at the back wall of the room. It was full of monitors showing various areas of the living quarters compound, inside and out. She heard no audio of what was taking place on the screens and none of the security personnel she saw were wearing headphones that would indicate listening in on various activities.
She walked away running things through her head. No audio and no cameras were in the rooms. There was visual only in the main areas of the compound, including the hallways and park areas.
She realized if it was Hakon that made his way into her room last night, he would probably know how to do it without alerting security. She had a feeling Hakon could do whatever he wanted and no one would know or even suspect him, and there was nothing she could do about it. If she tried, she’d be putting her family at risk, and that was something she wasn’t willing to do. She had to ride this out, take it one step at a time, and do what she had to do to keep her loved ones safe.
She spent the afternoon in the park with the swimming pool. During her morning wanderings, she found, to her delight, a fully stocked library. She found a few books to check out and sat in the park reading. She had to admit it was relaxing, but she didn’t have to remind herself why she was there, or of her sister who was currently breathing through a tube. She’d call her mom tonight before Tessa’s visit and check in. She also had to check in with Sheila.
She lost track of time reading and early evening crept in. She went back to her room to call her mom. She sounded upbeat when she answered the phone.
“Hello, sweetheart! How are you doing?”
Kinsey loved hearing the happy tone in her voice. “I’m doing well, Mom. How are things going there?”
“Just wonderful. We got fantastic news today. Brianna’s lung is healing well, quite fast actually.”
Kinsey’s heart leaped. “Wow! That is fantastic news! I’m so happy to hear that.”
“Yes, we are, too. So everything is comfortable on your end? You getting settled?”
“Yep. This place is amazing and I’m going to learn a lot here. They have some interesting classes I’ll be taking.”
“That’s wonderful, honey.” Kinsey heard a pause as her mom shifted her attention to someone in the room. She returned to Kinsey. “I’m sorry to cut you off, sweetie, but Brianna’s doctor just came in and wants to discuss something with us. Can you call again tomorrow?”
“No problem. I have a meeting to prepare for anyway.” It wasn’t a complete lie. “I’ll touch base by the end of the week so I can check on Brianna, okay?”
“That sounds good. I’ll talk to you then. Your dad sends his love.”
“Tell him I love him, too.”
“Enjoy your meeting. I love you.”
“Thank you, I will. I love you, too, Mom.”
Kinsey disconnected the call and breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, Brianna would be free of the breathing tube soon.
She was about to walk out on the patio when a buzzer went off at her front door. She looked through the peephole and saw Tessa. She opened the door and greeted her with a smile. Tonight she would do some digging and hoped Tessa was willing to share her experience and what she knew about Operation Vala and Hakon.