It's Alive! by Richard Woodley Read Free Book Online

it.”
    “It’s just different from other babies. It’s afraid and doesn’t want to be hurt. It’s stronger than other babies, and it gets violent when it’s afraid. But I don’t believe it’s ugly. You don’t either, do you, Frank?”
    “You’re exhausted, honey. You don’t know what you’re saying. Maybe it would be better if you stayed here, just one more day.”
    She looked at him, narrowing her eyes. “I want to know, do you think our baby’s ugly?”
    “I don’t know, Lenore. I guess it’s in the eyes of the beholder. And I haven’t seen it.”
    “You don’t want me to come home.”
    “Of course I do.” He rubbed her cheek. “You know I do.”
    “You don’t want me to come home because I had an ugly baby.”
    “No, no, I do, I don’t care about the baby, I—”
    “You don’t care about our baby?”
    He shook his head rapidly. “I do, I do! I’m going around in circles.” He kissed her on the cheek and turned toward the door. “I’d better go out and check on those two, the doctor and the cop. I don’t trust them. Can you imagine those jerks, trying to blame us?”
    “Well,” Lenore murmured softly, “we are the parents.”
    The strange smile again flitted across her face.
    “Let’s not argue,” Frank said. He blew her a kiss and stepped out into the corridor.
    The doctor and the lieutenant stopped whispering when they saw him.
    “We’ve decided that your wife can go home,” Dr. Norten said, “tomorrow morning. Or, that is to say, later this morning.”
    “So you needn’t bother bringing your lawyer into this,” added Detective Perkins.
    “Who said anything about my—”
    “I’m sure you realize,” the detective went on, pulling his ear, “that it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep this quiet for the time being. In your business, I’m sure you understand about the timing of, er, publicity. So let’s just keep this between us, at least until we find out what’s become of the, er, infant.”
    “Christ, no word yet? Strange that nobody’s seen—”
    “I don’t see how it could survive the night,” said Norten, “without nourishment or clothing.”
    “Yeah,” said Perkins. “Like any animal, though, it’s probably holed up somewhere.”
    “It’s not an animal!” Frank snarled. “Whatever it is, you can’t classify it as an animal. It’s human, buster, and that’s disgusting to you, isn’t it? Isn’t it, Dr. Norten?”
    “Um, ‘disgusting’ isn’t a word I would use.”
    “Kills like an animal,” huffed Detective Perkins, “according to what I’ve seen. And when we find it, we’ll have to destroy it like a crazed animal.”
    Frank suddenly felt beaten. “I don’t care. I suppose you have to do whatever is necessary. I don’t want to hear about it, or think about it, or have anything to do with it.”
    “Glad you feel that way,” said the detective. “Makes our job easier.”
    “And I hope your wife understands, as well,” Dr. Norten added.
    “What’s to understand? It’s better not to think about it.”
    “But we have to think about it,” the detective said, “in our business.”
    “Of course.”
    Dr. Norten edged toward Lenore’s door. “I’ll just peek in and say good night to your wife, Mr. Davis.”
    “I’ll drive you home, Mr. Davis, if you got nothing against a prowl car.”
    “No thanks. I’ve got my car.”
    “Don’t leave town.”
    “What? Of course not. I’ll be home, if you need me. Or at my office.”
    Frank stepped into Lenore’s room behind Dr. Norten.
    Lenore was sitting up in bed, combing her hair. “I’m feeling better now.”
    Frank took her hand. “We’ve resolved our little conflict. I’ll be picking you up around eleven this morning, to go home.”
    “That’s fine.”
    He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, honey.”
    She giggled.
    “What’s the matter?”
    “I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl. That was so important to us, wasn’t it? And now we may never