3.6 Harmless Potion

MaKenzie sat at her desk peering at her computer screen but not getting any work done. She enjoyed her job, most of the time. It was hard to concentrate after Gerard’s phone call the previous night. Although she had doubted their relationship would last long distance, it had so far held up. Countless visits and hundreds of long distance phone calls later, they were still going strong and he was planning another visit. And hopefully a proposal.

She was a test subject at the local laboratory and usually, something was always happening. There was always some strange concoction to drink or shots to take, or the occasional freak that streaked throughout the office.
For the most part, the life of a test subject wasn’t hard. Sit around, drink or eat something that had the possibility of being dangerous, and cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Deep in thought, MaKenzie did not hear footsteps behind her. It was Alan, the cute lab tech. “Hey MaKenzie, Robert needs you down the hall. "

Makenzie got up from her desk and followed Alan down the hall towards the top secret lab tech’s work rooms.

Robert was waiting on MaKenzie to arrive. On the table were four cups with smoke rising. Robert brought a cup to her. MaKenzie closed her eyes and took a sip.

Most concoctions MaKenzie drank were harmless. Once she had turned into a tiger, complete with hairballs, but that was the worst she had encountered. Right now, MaKenzie felt sick, sicker than she had been ever before. She thought about quitting her job as she bowed over the toilet.

Jace entered the bathroom quietly, “MaKenzie, doll, are you okay?”

“Yes I am,” she whispered between dry coughs. Jace turned to leave when MaKenzie called out,
“Dad, call Robert. Tell him to come over.”

Robert walked around the bedroom observing MaKenzie. He felt her back and her arms; he looked exactly like a doctor should. “Well MaKenzie, it looks like the sickness will pass. The concoction did misfire. So the good news is you will be okay. The bad news is you can’t have your own children. The medicine destroyed your reproductive system.”

MaKenzie sat in her corner chair, stoic. She never thought about having kids before she just figured she would at some point. But now she couldn’t.

MaKenzie returned to work the next day. She was physically present but her mind was elsewhere. She was staring absently mindedly at the computer screen when her boss approached her. “MaKenzie, I have noticed your hard work and I want to promote you to Lab Tech. I had to pull some strings but I think you deserve it.” MaKenzie just smiled. Deep down she knew it was only a condolence effort.