I looked at the new father, remembering slowly where I was.
"He's gonna be fine!"
"Congrats." I forced a smile.
Across the room the doctor was talking with the mother who was nursing her new child. Assistant was cleaning up the bassinet. The father was placing a cigar with a blue wrapper into my hand. I smiled again as he continued to talk. I needed to leave. Now.
"Doc," my voice cracked slightly. I coughed softly. "Don't we have to get a move on?"
Medico turned, "Oh, Bob. Sorry, I forgot you were here."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I muttered.
"Sue and..." the doctor stumbled.
"Ed," the father interjected.
"Ed," Ignaro pointed at the woman and man, "this is Bob Moore. He's... um..."
"Helping you out," I volunteered.
"Yes!" he exclaimed, "You know, Bob put me on the road to the development of the technology that makes cross-births possible."
Ed's hand shot out again, grasping mine firmly and pumping it, his other hand on my shoulder slapping it violently, "Well, well," he punctuated each word with a slap, "come have a drink with us."
There have been few times in my life where I completely lost my wits. Notably, I remember back in grade school, a kid had teased me mercilessly for months. I held my tongue until one day I just lost it. I remember my vision narrowing, as if I was in a tunnel, until he was all I could see. It took two kids and a teacher to pull me off of him. As the doctor complimented me, my vision started to dim. I could feel my face flush, adrenaline dumping into my bloodstream. I spoke through clenched teeth, "No, really, Doc. We need to go. Now." I pulled my hand from Ed's, forced smile on my face, my eyes hard.
The doctor looked confused, "Eh, okay. Sure." He turned to Ed who was still grinning, "Ed, make sure she takes the pills I gave you. And if anything happens, anything at all with the baby, press this button," the doctor pressed a small, black object into Ed's hand.
Sue was too busy cooing at her new baby to pay much attention. Assistant followed close behind the doctor as he moved toward the door.
I patted Ed on the shoulder, "Congrats," I said again lamely.
Ed's eyes were bouncing between me and Medico like he was at a tennis match. As I turned to exit, I could tell by his falling smile that he was catching on that something was amiss. He only managed a small grunt before I stepped through the doorway and into the lab of Ignaro Medico, Doc Arts. The last thing Ed saw as the teleportation portal snapped shut was my arm reaching back, my hand in a fist. If the portal had lasted a half second longer he'd have seen the doctor turn just in time for my fist to catch him on the cheek.