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AGELESS A Stem Cell Mystery

  Dr. Victor Ridge opened the door of his mustang.  He stepped out, instinctively locked the door, and began the short walk from the parking lot to the high-rise Medical Center ahead of him.  He walked briskly, enjoying the cool morning air, and the brilliant sunlight.   Suddenly, he felt the forefinger of his left-hand quiver uncontrollably for about three seconds.  He'd first noticed the twitching about six months ago after which it had subsided for a few weeks and then recurred sporadically three or four times.He entered the building, took the elevator to the 12th floor, walked down the hallway, and then entered his suite.  Inside, the blinds were slightly ajar allowing beams of bright light to enter the room.  As he looked at the beams he thought about Sir Francis Bacon, who dared to explain the miracle of the rainbow.  Bacon was persecuted for discovering that the rainbow was not a covenant, but was light refracted by raindrops into its wavelengths. He wondered if he too would someday be persecuted for his research on stem cells.  As he turned his gaze from the light beams he saw his receptionist hang up the phone.

“Good morning, Sheila.”
“Good morning.”
“Who is my first appointment?”
  Sheila looked at her appointment book.
“Mrs. Dawson, 9 o'clock”

 “Okay, show her right in when she comes.” He walked into his office.  Dr. Ridge was an infertility specialist working in Gardona, AZ.  He had a thriving practice with upscale patients who had delayed having children until the last minute on the biological clock.  He’d work his magic with invitro fertilization (IVF) and most of his patients were able to give birth to healthy babies.  He also ran Ridge Genetics, Inc. across town that performed pre-implantation testing on eight-celled embryos.  The testing was done by carefully removing two cells from the embryo, removing the DNA and examining the genes so that defective genes were detected. The lab also did paternity testing and DNA work for the local police.
He was looking forward to seeing Mrs. Dawson.  Her appointment was timed to harvest her ova.  As a result of hormonal treatment, superovulation would produce at least ten eggs.  Promptly at nine o'clock she walked into his office.

“Hello, Mrs. Dawson.  How are you?”  asked Sheila.
“Okay.  These hormones are really working on me.”
“Dr. Ridge will see you now in room one.”
She walked into the examining room.

“Good Morning, Mrs. Dawson,” the doctor said as she entered.
“Are you ready for the procedure to continue the process to a successful pregnancy?”
“Yes.  I’m as ready as I can be,” she said looking at her watch.
“Will this process take very long?”
“No, it’s not long or painful.  I’ll use a local anesthesia and you won’t feel any pain.”
“That sounds okay.”

“Remember, I told you that I’ll insert the hollow needle into each ovary, and aspirate the eggs using ultrasound. It shouldn’t take over fifteen minutes.  It’s a simple process.”
“I’m a little apprehensive; it’s a very big step for us.”
“Are you having second thoughts about having that wonderful baby?”
“No, I just hope that everything works the way you say.”  Her enthusiasm had not waned.  She was just afraid of possible disappointment if conception did not occur.
“Your husband left his semen last week.”
“It was easier for him, I'm sure.”

.............

“Come in. Glad to see you. Did you bring the embryos?”
Tommy placed the nitrogen pack on the table.
“Yes, I did.  I’ve decided that I want five thousand dollars for my trouble.”
 “Five thousand dollars, you must be crazy!”
 “It's just a drop in the bucket when you consider the millions your bio-research will bring when you make your breakthrough discovery.”
“That’s far too much for just bringing a vial and picking it up the next day,” he said in disgust, trying to hide his desire for the vial at any cost.
“Then I’ll leave and take the vial with me!”