Ben came over to Mary’s side and said gently, “Mary, Jamie is going to have a bowel movement very soon now. The command I gave to the bots have caused them to stimulate the passage of stools. I think you should put him in a diaper right away, before that happens. Don’t you agree?”
She looked at the diaper in the assistant’s hand, then down at the wet spot Jamie had made on her pants. “I think you’re right,” she said.
Mary put Jamie on the table and expertly diapered him, then picked him up and held him close to her bosom. The assistant took a small flannel blanket out of the bag and said, “Here, Mrs. Farr, I bought a baby blanket too. Why don’t you wrap Jamie in this? You don’t want Jamie to get cold, do you? ”
Mary took the blanket wordlessly from the lab assistant and carefully wrapped Jamie, then reseated herself in the chair. The assistant took the bag and went to another lab table. She busied herself with glassware and lit a bunsen burner; apparently involving herself in an experiment. Mary sat in the chair cuddling Jamie and murmuring to him in a low voice, “Jamie’s been very, very naughty! Look at you! Do you see what happens when you steal? You’ve become a baby! What am I going to do with you? I can’t even give you back to your mother. She’s in the last stage of Alzheimer’ s. She can’t take care of you, she’s as helpless as you are. She’s in the hospital and back in diapers herself. My poor, poor baby! You need someone to take care of you. You look so helpless. What will you do for a mommy?”
She frowned and said, “I’ll guess I’ll have to take care of you myself. What do you say to that Jamie? Do you want me to be your Mommy?” Jamie looked up into Mary’s face, smiled and cooed pleasantly. Mary smiled at Jamie and said, “Jamie likes that idea doesn’t he? Don’t worry Darling, Mommy will take care of you.”
Mary looked at Ben and said, “Isn’t there something you can do for him? Can’t you order the bots to change him back?”
Ben shook his head no and said, “Mary, what the bots did is irrevocable. The bots have completely replaced his cellular structure. You were right when you told him that he’s a baby. Any attempt to rewrite the bots programming would be very dangerous. When they rejuvenated him, the template of all the changes in his body that maturity made was lost. That information isn’t recoverable, it’s lost forever. I can’t do anything. The only option we have is to let him grow up and age normally. You’ll have to be his Mommy.”
His lab assistant returned and handed Mary a baby bottle full of formula. “Here Mrs. Farr, I made a bottle of baby formula for him. He’s probably thirsty, why don’t you give it to him? The temperatures okay, I warmed it to thirty seven degrees Celsius.”
Ben put his hand on her arm and said, “Mary, I’d like you to give him the bottle. Feeding him will help stimulate the bowel reflex, he needs to void the bots as soon as possible.”
Mary took it reluctantly and approached Jamie’s head with the bottle intending to put the nipple in Jamie’s mouth. Jamie seized the bottle eagerly from her hand, jammed the nipple in his mouth and began sucking thirstily.
“Mary, I’m going to call a friend of mine, Dr. Walsh to come over and examine Jamie. She’s a pediatrician at the University Health Clinic and is more qualified than I am to evaluate Jamie’s condition. Dr. Walsh is an old friend and she would respect Jamie’s right to privacy. I’m sure you realize what a delicate position the University has been put in by Jamie’s actions. I’d like to keep what’s happened to Jamie out of the press if I can.” Ben patted her hand and went to the phone and place the call.
“Alice…………..Hello Alice, this is Ben…………I was wondering if you could do a favor for me?…………Could you come over to my lab?…………Yes, immediately if possible…………..Well, I can’t really say over the phone. I was wondering if you could examine a friend of mine………How old? I can’t say…….Yes, I know that sounds cryptic. This friend is a pedi case, is that a help?…………….Thanks, we’ll be waiting for you. Bye.” Ben hung the receiver up, returned to the table and said, “She said she’ll be here in about thirty minutes. Has he had a bowel movement yet?………No?……Well, let’s try to get him to evacuate his bowels. He needs to void the bots. Mary, try to get him to walk. Exercise should do it.”
