CHAPTER 212: THE GREAT FORGETTING

For Lex and Homer, it was a long night. Clayton was a handful—he just about knocked down the door one time. But as it became morning, Clayton settled down, signaling the completion of his transition.

Lex turned on the intercom system and asked Clayton if he was okay. Behind the overturned bed and mattress, he held up his thumb signaling all was okay.

"Okay Clayton, I’m going to bring a couple orderlies in to help straighten everything up and bring your robe, then I need to examine you, take some blood samples, and ask you a few questions. After that, it’ll be determined if you’re ready to go home or you need to stay a little while longer. There are plenty of people waiting for you to come home, but I’m not sending you home until I’m sure you are okay with everything." Clayton held up his thumb again, clarifying that he understood.

Lex spoke with Homer and it was decided that Homer should go back home and pick up baby Roman on the chance that Clayton was ready to meet him.

Lex walked into the transition room and asked Clayton to stand. As he stood, he was in full view—if there was any doubt about his parentage before, there was little anymore.

Prior to transition, most unknown young genman DNA structure is not fully developed, so exact Genmen parentage is unknown unless it is a bonded pair. If you have two that conceived and stayed together, yes, that’s their child. But in cases like Clayton, where he was rescued from the corporate breeding area, little to nothing was known.

Lex handed him a robe, then contacted his grandfather on the communicator and asked him to stop by the center so that he could bear witness to what was already suspected.

Lex had been getting all of the background for prior breedings and conceptions done at the Z-1 on computer files. It included a facial recognition program, genetics, and DNA structure matching. Lex took the tablet, opened the program, and took a photo of the recently transitioned Clayton. He hit enter, and within three seconds there was a 99.99% facial recognition match to the father. The dad would take a DNA match after blood work was done, but at least Clayton had at least one parent at the Z1, and he was a long-time resident. Recently they kept cord blood so that earlier child-to-parent matching could be done for all children born on the Z1 in case of accident or other incidents that occurred after the birth.

Zack walked up to the viewing window and when he saw Clayton’s face, took a deep breath. There was no doubt whose son he was. What had once been denied to all was now very evident in the almost mirror image of his father. Zach walked to the door and entered the room.

With tears in his eyes, Clayton looked around at Mr. Z. "Who am I, sir? And what am I doing here? Things are a little fuzzy for me. This place is familiar, but I really don’t know any of it."

Zack walked over to Clayton and wrapped his arms around him. "Son, you’re going to be just fine. Sometimes during transition, memories are scrambled and even forgotten, but that’s why we’re here to help you through the rest of your transition. You’re on the Z1—you live here with your partner and your new child. You have a long history that we don’t know a lot about, but at least we do know who your father is now that you have transitioned and your DNA structure has solidified. I’ll let you know right now that through investigations, we’ll find out who your daddy is and how you arrived at the condition you were in when we located you."

Clayton looked up. "You know who my father is? Will he want to see me, much less have anything to do with me? And I need to ask you something else, sir—you say I have a partner and a child. How can that be? I just transitioned. I haven’t even had my first cycle yet."

"Clayton, sometimes after traumatic events and one’s transition, the mind will protect itself thanks to the Genman’s genetics and body," Zack explained gently. "I can tell you for a fact that you were conceived here on this farm, the Z1. Your father is a resident here and was in our breeding program. He let his genetics be utilized by other Genmen that come here for a breeding, and then they return to their farms and ranches to birth and raise you. As far as your father is concerned, he is a standup guy and he will do the right thing by you and your child by welcoming you into his family unit. And all I can say is you’re kind of like an honorary grandchild to me now also."

Lex cleared his throat and ushered Homer into the room carrying Roman. Lex was on guard in case this meeting did not go as smoothly as he hoped.

Clayton looked suspiciously at Homer and the young child that he was carrying. He didn’t feel anything toward this man or the child that he was carrying in his arms. He looked at them with a blank stare.

Homer looked at Lex. "It’s as if he doesn’t recognize me and Roman—his own child that he birthed three weeks ago. What is wrong with him?"

Zack motioned for Homer to take a seat and Clayton to sit near him. "During the transition, parts of Clayton’s mind were locked away. He doesn’t remember you nor his own child. This is going to take a while, but slowly his mind will come back. When you’re at work, there will be somebody in the home staying with Clayton and Roman so that no harm comes to either."

Lex took out a tablet and punched a few buttons on the screen, then handed it to Clayton. It was the video of him birthing Roman. Clayton was in total shock as he watched this younger version of himself pushing the child from his body, the care and attentiveness that Homer showed him and the newborn child. There was a female human there who was also helping—who was she?

Zack smiled and knelt down beside Clayton, wrapping his arm over his shoulder. "Don’t worry, young man. We’ve got an expert in these matters who’s going to be with you and help you, Homer, and Roman get your lives back together. She should be here within a few hours and she will stay here just as long as anyone needs her—she has cleared her calendar."

Vincent was surprised to see his mom crawling out of the speeder at the Z1. He walked up and greeted her. In her usual sassiness, Celeste retorted, "You taking care of my grandbaby and my new son-in-law, or do I have to come up to your home when I’m through here and whip your ass?"

He smiled and kissed his mother’s cheek. "No mama, Willie is fine and your new grandson is fine—he’s getting bigger and bigger every day. It has to be important or you wouldn’t be here without at least dropping a bombshell that you’re on the way."

"Very important," Celeste smiled. "Young Clayton needs my expertise. He’s transitioned and doesn’t remember his own child, much less his partner. Kind of like transition depression, but I’m sure he’ll be fine and he’ll get straightened out."