I Can Help You

"Mr and Mrs Armstrong?" the man asked, "I'm very sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if we could a chat. I think I can help you"
Billie Joe looked at the man, not quite sure if he was real. The last twenty four hours seemed a complete blur. He couldn't quite take in what had happened. Pulling Adrienne closer he said to the man-
"We don't want any counselling, thanks"
He'd never really believed in that sort of thing, and he didn't want to leave Adie.
"No no" the man said, "I actually want to discuss something with you, about your son Jakob. I'm Dr Hill by the way"
He said all this very fast; perhaps he was more nervous than he was letting on. Adrienne lifted her head.
"Jakob?" she said, "He's alive? But I thought he died on the train"
Billie Joe felt his heart skip a beat. Then he remembered that he'd just identified his son's body, and there was no way he could possibly be alive. In fact, it was more likely that the Doctor had bad news about Joey.
"No Mrs Armstrong" Dr Hill said, "I'm afraid that's not the case. I'm a doctor at a research facility called Rebirth. We specialise in cloning and have so far successfully cloned four people"
He sounded like he had given this speech a thousand times.
"I read about what happened in this morning's paper" he continued, "and myself and my team decided to offer you a chance."
Adrienne buried her face into a pillow, sobbing. Suddenly angered, stood in front of the doctor, of whom he was a head taller.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" he roared, "Why do idiots like you have to come poking their great big noses into our business? I just want to be with Adie"
Dr Hill, looking more like a rodent than ever, twitched.
"I realise this must be difficult" he said, "But I can say with some confidence, that there is a good chance we can bring Jakob back. We've been perfecting these procedures for many years, and now we can successfully create an identical copy of a person, so long as we have their cells. Effectively, this means Jakob could be reborn."
Looking at the doctor, Billie Joe punched the nearest wall.
"Jakob's fucking dead" he shouted, "How can you bring him back"
Taking a step backwards, Dr Hill said-
"I'll give you some time to think about this, I know it's a huge decision. Here's my number, go home and think about it. I believe Adrienne and Joey are being discharged later today. But we only have around three days to make a decision, cells have short life spans."
And he scurried out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Nutcase" Billie Joe muttered taking Adrienne's hand, "We're not gonna do it are we?"
He looked into her eyes, seeing how much she was hurting. But he couldn't believe she would even consider this.
"Look" he said, "We need to get home and explain all this to Joey, and phone my Mum, and Mike and Tre. We can talk about that lunatic later Adie"
She nodded, now unable to cry. It's funny how, even when you are terribly upset about something, if you have to think about things, it's almost impossible to cry. And the thing you really need to cry about feels like its gnawing away at your insides, twisting them out of shape.
"How the hell are we meant to tell Joey?" she asked

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Joey mate" Billie Joe said, "You know how there was an accident on the train?"
Joey nodded, staring at the ground.
"A lot of people got hurt when the train crashed" Billie continued, feeling his eyes prickling, "And Jakob was hurt really bad"
He put one arm around Joey and the other around Adrienne, feeling them both shaking. How could this be happening, other people's children died in accidents. You feel sorry for them, but it never happens to you.
"Jakob went to heaven Joey" Adrienne finished for him, "He died honey"
She looked at his gashed, innocent face. His dark eyes were brimming with tears, every last drop of colour leaving him. Then he leapt to his feet, and turned over the coffee table.
"NO HE'S NOT" He screeched, "Don't you dare say he's dead, I hate you, both of you."
And he ran from the room, leaving Adrienne in tears.
"Adie" Billie Joe murmured, "We really need to talk about what that doctor said, it's probably illegal and it's wrong. We need to got to the police"
None of this sank in.
"I want him back" she whispered, "I want Jakob back, I want to try it. We haven't got anything to lose"
"What about Joey?" he said, "What if it doesn't work, and he doesn't get his brother back, what's that gonna do to him? We can't do it Adie, and even if it did work, it wouldn't be Jakob. It would be like a twin."
"He'd have the same smile" Adrienne said softly, "The same eyes. Please, we have to try, nobody else ever got a second chance"
She lifted the phone.
"I'm going to call him" she said, dialling the number, "I'm going to ask him if he can do it"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Now Mr and Mrs Armstrong" Dr Hill said, "I'm well aware that you are not a normal case. With the last family, we simply made it seem as if they had vanished into thin air. But these are special circumstances, and we must remember how well trained reporters today are, and how hard it would be to ensure none of you were recognised"
Adrienne nodded. That day should have been the most normal day since Jakob's death. Joey was back at school; Mike had popped round and made a mess as he'd always done. But now it looked like things were about to change all over again.
"The easiest way to do that" the doctor continued, "Would be to move to an entirely different part of the world, change your names and appearances, and fake your deaths. You would be buried in America, and I would have you flown out to a very quiet part of the English countryside. My team will arrange the burying of empty coffins, and find a suitable house and school."
His head swimming, Billie Joe nodded. In just a week, he would never see his best friends, his brothers and sisters or his Mum again.
"I have arranged for you to take up the names Paul and Mia Cameron" Dr Hill told them, "Nice normal names, so there's no reason for any unwanted attention. Joey can stay Joey if you'd prefer that, it shouldn't cause any suspicion. I'd recommend not calling... how can I put this... the result of our experiment, Jakob. Fans would immediately think of you and then there'd be trouble. And I urge you to keep your tattoos covered Mr Armstrong, they're very distinctive. Now, do you have any questions?"
Adrienne lifted an information sheet he'd given her. She must have read it a dozen times, but it still didn't make sense.
"Will it just be the same as having any other baby?" she asked
"Yes" Dr Hill said, "For the last few weeks I'll keep you in a secret facility underground. That should avoid any awkward questions. When we are actually carrying out the procedure, there will be a series of injections. They will be rather painful I'm afraid, but your husband can stay the whole time"
Still not convinced, Billie Joe said-
"How do we explain it to Joey, and Jakob when he's older. Does your information sheet tell us that?"
Dr Hill scratched his nose, looking ever so slightly mousy.
"I can talk to Joey for you; explain things in a way appropriate for his age. However, it would be much too risky to tell Jakob. In my experience, it could make him insane"
He got to his feet and lifted his briefcase.
"I'll be carrying out the procedure tomorrow Mrs Armstrong" he said, "Get plenty of rest tonight and I'll see you at ten sharp."
He let himself out, shutting the door unnaturally quietly.
"How the hell are we meant to sleep tonight?" Adrienne said.