Litmus Test

"As you know, we are working on a grant to improve the chance of fertilization in woman. We know a lot about their cycles, temperatures, and even when an egg is present. But we are trying to pinpoint the exact window of opportunity. But in a way that the individual can test themselves and also privately."

"We can test for acidity in the mouth and saliva and we know that the levels change at different points in a cycle. We know that hormones, diet, and other factors play a role in this as well. But what I think I have found is a combination of enzymes and acids that are only present in the saliva when the egg is in the most opportune time for fertilization. My theory is that the fallopian tubes release this enzyme for use in attracting the egg into the tube. When this enzyme is released it almost certainly means an egg is present and ovulation has taken place. Therefore I have developed a litmus test to test for this enzyme and that is when the stick will turn blue."

"That means I am pregnant!" Rebecca said.

"You got us both pregnant to test a theory?" Ashley screamed in anger.

"No not actually or at least not in your case. When you knocked everything over last month trying to fill the water cups next to my desk the stack landed in my solution. What I didn't know is that when you picked them up you used one while you were in the stage I was testing for. You left blue lips on your cup that day which told me you were very very very fertile."

"So you came to the party to have sex with me?"

"No it would not have mattered who had sex with you that night. Anyone would have gotten you pregnant, even Justin as you so wanted. I came because I had a large stack of cups I put the solution on to give me a onetime large sample test. I thought it would escalate my progress instead of using our small daily sample. And yes, I did see Rebecca's cup turn blue."

"I don't get it. Why did you have sex with me then?" Ashley asked.

Jake went on to explain how he found her in the kitchen totally wasted and trying to get Justin to take her upstairs. He mentioned how he saw Rebecca sitting there in a daze with a cup having reacted to her saliva and turning blue. That told him she was on a cycle similar to Ashley's. He never intended on seeing her again until she showed up as part of the sample set of volunteer students.

The phone had the story both girls were looking for. With Ashley it showed her begging and pleading and almost forcing Jake to have sex with her. Only it also showed that she thought he was Justin the whole time. When she watched herself and how hot the whole scene was she saw a person in Jake that was totally different than who she thought he was. She watched as he brought her to an explosive state in the bedroom and when she saw how well-endowed he was she was certain she was watching herself conceive a child. There was no other way. She also started getting wet and was unable to sit still.

Ashley sat in shock as she now had the answers she was looking for. Jake was in fact the father of her unborn child. She contributed to it if not demanded it when they were in the bedroom together. She also saw him as more of a man than Justin had been even though he was a deceitful jerk and needed to be punished in some way. But as she watched the video combined with the story told by Rebecca about her begging and pleading for Justin to bring her upstairs she knew her choices were severely limited.

For Rebecca the questions she had were unanswered. Why did he pick her? Why did he make her pregnant? Was she pregnant? What are they going to do now?

The video on his phone was focused on their activity in the pool and did not have a camera man to turn it towards the chaise lounge when he carried her out of the water. What it did show was a seduction that could be considered a masterpiece. It coincided with Jakes explanation of desire for her because of how pretty and sweet she was. With the exception of knowing she was very fertile his actions were the same he would have taken with her regardless. He wanted her and all though vulnerable she wanted him and the video showed the passion they shared. Again the issue being the fact that she also was inebriated meaning he had taken advantage of and impregnated two women whose consent was not necessarily voluntarily given.

"That still leaves the 'what do we do now question?' " Rebecca asked.

Silence overtook the room. Both women stared at Jake and would occasionally look at each other. Jake didn't meet their eyes. This seemed like it was taking forever until someone behind them spoke scaring the hell out of all of them. No one had notice him enter the room because they were in such an intense conversation and sat side by side looking at his phone in a direction away from the doorway. Gloria and Professor Barrows had been watching them for a while.

"Well it seems like we have a problem here don't we?" Professor Barrows said then continued once he had their attention.

"Jake, Ashley, I am pleased with the results of your actual work, I am angry with the way you two worked together constantly bickering, I am furious that you would jeopardize the grant, and I cannot even begin to imagine the fallout that will exist because of your stupid decision to include a student participant in your little colluded efforts to prove a theory."

"Professor, I did not collude with him on any of this." Ashley started to say.

"Ashley stop. You may have been innocent up until the night of your party. I saw the video from where I was standing here and from that point forward I am going to consider it collusion. You knew you had been compromised, you eventually found out you were pregnant, this young girl even told you who had sex with you, and you chose to ignore all of this and allow it to continue."

"So what do I do now?" Asked Rebecca.

Silence was Jake's and Ashley's best response right now. Professor Barrow walked around in front of them and pulled a chair up. He pulled up real close in fact before leaning forward and talking slowly and quietly.

"Your work on the grant will be completely documented and on my desk by the end of the day next Friday. That means you both will work on it non-stop until then. No more tests. No more new theories. You document what you have learned and you document the results of the tests. You document the success of one-time attempts at pregnancy and also the failures."

"But Professor I only had sex with these two?" Jake tried to ad.

"Then you will have no failures to document will you? You also will not refer to either of these young ladies by name in the paper." Professor Barrows answered.

"I am going to release the terms of the grant into your names. All four of you. Should there be any compensation from the sponsor you will share in it equally. I suggest you figure out the relationship side of this mess for yourselves. Who is going to be with who or are you all going your separate ways? Jake don't disappoint me, you have two beautiful women who will soon deliver your offspring. Be there for both of them."

"Is that it?" Asked Ashley.

"No, there is one more thing. You two will be unofficially suspended academically. I am going to ask that you leave campus at the end of the semester and not return. If you do, the suspension will be documented and become official. I can't imagine any scenario where you want this to become public. Do you understand?"

All three nodded their heads in agreement. They started that afternoon working on the final paper. The work seemed impossible to complete by the following Friday because they had not been prepared to do it so soon. Notes were collected and organized and more academic research was completed to document methods, processes, and the accuracy of results. Gloria had already completed most of the charting and was picking up slack in the areas she could. She actually worked real hard and never once asked for a break or to sit. Her smile was bothering Jake and Ashley but Gloria didn't care. In fact she was enjoying this. Wednesday morning Rebecca walked in on them and they all stopped to look at her.

"What can I do to help?" She asked.

"Why would you want to help after what has happened?" Ashley asked her.

"Well let's just say, prior to how this played out, I kind of liked working with you guys. And I liked the attention I was getting from Jake. Plus I have a vested interest in this working out the way Professor Barrows said it could. We all need this. Especially you and I."

The next couple of weeks went by with everyone working their butts off. It turns out that Rebecca was a linguistics guru and an incredible writer. The project was soon jumping off of the page as she wrote it. Occasionally Ashley would be seen working alone and have tears coming down her cheeks. Each time Gloria and Jake would look at each other, Gloria would just shake her head. Rebecca would go hug Ashley when she knew she was crying and occasionally would smile at Jake. That part confused him.

During the early part of week two they were interrupted in their work when Justin walked in. He looked around and then asked Ashley if they could talk. Everyone else just looked down as the two of them walked up front to the lobby. They talked for almost forty minutes before they heard Ashley scream. All of them headed towards the front but were met by Ashley running into the room all excited and donning an engagement ring. Justin slowly walked in behind her.

She went on to explain that although she is still upset over what Jake did, she realizes that she was at fault also and Justin realizes that he put her in the spot that resulted in the situation that changed the direction of fate that night. He wasn't upset with Ashley as he considered the circumstances. However Justin did not know what Jake and Ashley knew and that she was most fertile that evening. She had explained to him that she thought he was Justin and had called him that numerous times during their tryst. They did determine that they still loved each other and vowed to make this work but Justin asked her if he could watch the tape. He didn't want to go on without her and she didn't want to be without him. Plus many guys fall in love and marry woman who already have children that they love and accept. Only they just didn't do it in the same order. With all of the excitement Gloria said she was calling it quits for the day and the newly engaged couple followed her out the door to go celebrate and make some phone calls. That left Jake and Rebecca standing together in silence. Neither of them knew what to say until Rebecca broke the ice.

"Hi, my name is Rebecca."

She reached her hand out to shake but Jake instead pulled her into a hug. Two seconds later they were engaged in another deep kiss. It took a few minutes before Jake was able to pull back and look into her eyes.

"I am sorry. I was should never have been at either party. And I am sorry for taking advantage of you."

She just laughed at him and ask him if he had his phone with? Jake shook his head and asked why?

"Well because you are a terrible videographer and missed all of the good parts of our last time together. We are going back to my apartment and I want to make sure I capture it this time"

Jake stood there stunned.

"Come on do as you are told, you have no room in any negotiations for a while."

When the paper was submitted it was received with accolades from the board of the corporation that had sponsored them. They immediately offered positions to Gloria and Ashley as they continued to complete their degrees. It was a paid position with benefits and one they couldn't turn down. Unlike an internship this job was permanent. Females were hard to find in this science and because the area of research was on woman's health they were receiving the full court press to accept. Jake didn't get offered a position with that company but a peer review left him with an offer at a pharmaceutical company not too far away in central Indiana. When Rebecca heard this she was ecstatic.

"I know where that is. That is where I live. It is right by my old High School."

One implication that clearly came to mind is that the next right thing to do was to take the position, marry Rebecca, and live in Indiana. In whatever order was required.

Later that year Ashley would miss her due date by a couple of weeks and Rebecca would go into labor two weeks early. Jake became a father to two little girls on the same day. Along with that shock came more news. Ashley planned to name her daughter Becca, and Rebecca asked if she could name their daughter Ashley? Jake didn't have any say in these matters especially when the two mothers sat side by side in nursing chairs and informed him that it was fair since they didn't have any say in how all of this happened. And until he could sit in a nursing chair and feed a child naturally, this was how it was going to work. The look he got made it very apparent that it was the two mothers colluding this time and he was at their mercy.