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Devi Patel
Devi turned toward the sound of Jan's voice hoping that the little ones hadn't heard. More concerned than ever, she wanted to see them settled into their beds as quickly as possible.
"Ow!" Emily cried out when the comb tangled in her wet hair.
"Sorry, lovey. We're almost finished. Then off to bed with both of you."
"Aww! Do we have to?" Devi couldn't help smiling when Matthew's voice chimed in from his room across the hall.
"Yessss! You have to. You have school tomorrow and I am just dying for a cup of coffee and some girl talk with your mom. Now give me kisses and hugs and let me tuck you in. Matthew, climb up and I'll be there to collect from you in a second."
With the twins settled in, Devi took a moment to stand in the hallway and take a deep breath. She had no idea what was going on, but she aimed to find out.
"I hope that coffee's done!" she called out to Jan as she headed back toward the kitchen. "The little ones are tucked in and I'm just dy... " The look on Janice's face took the words from Devi's mouth as she ran over to her and wrapped her sobbing friend in her arms.
"There, there," she cooed soothingly. "What in the world is going on with you, Jan?" Janice shoved the crumpled letter into Devi's hand, sobbing even harder than she had been before.
"What's this? The letters that I got from Burt?" Jan nodded and hiccupped. "Okay. Okay. I'll look at it in a sec. Let me get you a cloth to wipe your face and pour our coffee. I don't have to hurry home. Raji will just have to wait for dessert tonight. But I did promise him an extra helping."
Devi chuckled. Her laughter had an almost musical tone to it and Jan was hard put not to respond despite everything. Her friend had such a naughty way about her. You'd think after all these years, Jan would be used to it. But she wasn't. She was grateful that Devi was here though, Jan didn't know who else she would even be able to discuss this with. Besides, Devi would know what to do, she thought to herself. If she didn't, Raji would. They were always there for her when she needed them.
Twenty minutes later, Devi sat in stunned silence beside her friend. At least she wouldn't have to deal with this. She and Raji didn't have any children. But Jan's letter said related. Did that apply to siblings as well? Devi cursed herself for taking a nap and not watching the news.
Wait! There was that second envelope. The one addressed to herself. Devi looked around until she spotted it on the countertop. Drawing in her breath, she tore it open and pulled the document out.
Dear Devi Patel"
You, along with every woman in their child-bearing years with an eligible child or sibling, have been selected to participate...
Devi skimmed down the page. There it was!
Our records show that you are within the qualifying age range, having been born in (birthdate: 02-15-2000) and that you also have an eligible donor, Sunil C. Reddy (birthdate: 04-12-2011).
The rest of the letter was identical to Jan's. She too was to report to Central State Hospital on the same date, at the same time. Both letters were quite straight-forward. With the television coverage, it couldn't be a hoax.
She was going to have to talk to Raji about this. At least for Jan's sake. As for herself, Devi had to struggle to stifle the tremor of something akin to excitement that was spreading throughout her body.
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